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Books hy JMartha "James 


MY FRIEND JIM. A Story of Real Boys and for 
Them. Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill. Large 
12mo 

$1.00 

TOM WINSTONE, “ WIDE AWAKE.” Illustrated 
by W. Herbert Dunton. Large 12mo .... 

1.00 

JACK TENFIELD’S STAR. Illustrated by Charles 
Copeland. Large 12mo 

1.00 

PIGEON" CAMP SERIES 


JIMMIE SUTER. Illustrated by G. W. PickneU. 
Large 12mo 

1.25 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 

BOSTON 



IpiQcon Camp Scries 


JIMMIE SUTER 

AND 

THE BOYS OF PIGEON CAMP 


BY 

MARTHA JAMES 

Author of “ My Friend Jim,” " Tom Winstone, ‘ Wide Awake,’ ” 
“Jack Tenfield’e Star” 

ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE W. PIC KNELL 



BOSTON 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 



Published, August, 1906 


LIBRARY of OONGRRSS 
Two Conifij Received 

AUG 21 '906 

Ci'OvriKiil tnlry 
CLASS KXc. No. 



Copyright, 1906, 

BY 

Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 


All Rights Rtstrved 


Jimmie Suter 


' < ‘ 

NORWOOD PRESS 

BERWICK & SMITH CO, 
NORWOOD, MASS. 

U. S. A. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. A Piece of News 1 

II. Planning an Ice-boat 12 

III. A Bid for a Boat 21 

IV. Honest Work and Another Kind • • .31 

V. Snowbound 44 

VI. Composition Day 71 

VII. Christmas at Sunnyview 82 

VIII. The “ Ice-Comet” 94 

IX. The “S. F. B.” 101 

X. Fun ON the Ice-Comet” 110 

XI. An Adventure IN THE Woods • • « * 117 

XII. Jolly Good Times ! 127 

XIII. Jimmie’s Telephone I4O 

XIV. “All’s Well that Ends Well” • * • 148 

XV. Busy Times 164 

XVI. A Jack-knife Contest 176 

XVII. Sunnyview Games 188 

XVIII. The Coming of Spring 198 

XIX. The Show Business 213 

XX. Ben’s Proposition 226 

XXL The Camp 237 


V 




ILLUSTRATIONS 


In a twinkling they were sprawling on the ice (page 
115) Frontispiece 


PAGE 

“ What ! — not git a few names fer me ? ” . . . . 43 

One chickadee, bolder than the rest, had alighted on 
the boy’s cap 133 

“ Your mother told me I’d find you out here” . . . 176 

Philip soon discovered that he could not keep up with 
Jimmie 183 

" You fellows are slow ! ” rang out a voice, as they 
neared Ben’s place 242 



JIMMIE SUTER 


CHAPTER I 

A PIECE OF NEWS 

“ Three weeks more and Christmas ! thought 
Jimmie, as he sat up in bed and looked about 
him. 

It was very evident that Jack Frost had been 
busy during the night. He had stolen into the 
little room and touched the basin of water that 
stood on a small table, leaving a thin coating of 
ice. He had hovered over Jimmie and Tod fast 
asleep in bed, but they were tucked in so snugly 
with blankets and warm quilts that he knew he 
couldn’t touch them so he had slipped away 
after breathing gently on the window panes just 
to let Jimmie know that he had been around. 
He had traced flowers and trees and glimpses of 
great castles there, and over all he had made 
beautiful touches of things that grow. 

Jimmie glanced at Tod still fast asleep, his 


2 


JIMMIE SUTER 


little nose buried in the soft pillow, then he slid 
softly out of bed and jumped into his clothes as 
quickly as a boy can. He ran to the window 
and made a little place to look out. What a 
sight greeted his eyes! The night before, as he 
put his feet down gingerly on the cold sheets, he 
had seen the moon smiling down on a brown hill 
and bare trees, but this morning the scene out- 
side looked like a new country. 

Everything was snow-covered, white and glis- 
tening, and the trees were all Christmas trees. 
What a beautiful world it was ! 

Jimmie turned from the window and stood 
for a second looking at the basin of water. It 
required a little courage to wash in ice-water, 
but our hero was a sturdy country boy and it 
wasn’t the first time he had seen a coating of ice 
in his wash basin, so he “ put in his thumb and 
' pulled out a ” — piece of ice. Phew ! it felt cold ; 
and his face was nice and warm, besides it 
wasn’t really dirty. He was half tempted to 
let it go unwashed, when like a flash came the 
thought “ afraid of a little cold water ! ” He 
ducked his head, dashed the cold water into his 


A PIECE OF NEWS 


3 


face and eyes, finished his bath, and after a vig- 
orous rubbing felt clean, wide awake, and ready 
for anything. 

On the way down stairs he whistled a lively 
tune and burst into the kitchen with a hearty 
“ Good-morning, everybody.” His mother, bend- 
ing over the stove, turned with a pleasant greet- 
ing and pointed out of doors. 

“ Did you look out of your window this morn- 
ing, Jim? ” 

^‘Yes, mother; isn’t it jolly to have snow at 
last? There’ll be good coasting now. What fun 
I mean to have and only three weeks more till 
Christmas! — three weeks, twenty-one days, let’s 
see how many hours, twenty-four hours in a day 
and twenty-one days. Twenty times twenty- 
four is four hundred and eighty and one day 
more, let’s see, four hundred and eighty plus 
twenty is five hundred, and four is five hundred 
and four. Hurray ! five hundred and four hours 
more.” 

When Jim had finished his mental arithmetic 
his mother’s smile deepened as she said : I 

didn’t mean the snow exactly. Didn’t you 


4 JIMMIE 8UTER 

notice anything unusual in the big house this 
morning? ” 

For answer, Jim made a dive to the window, 
on which the frost had melted from the heat of 
the kitchen stove, and looked eagerly across the 
way. 

“ Why ! there’s smoke coming out of the chim- 
ney! Somebody is shoveling off the piazza. It 
looks like father. What does it mean? Are the 
folks there? Did Hand come?” 

“Wait a moment,” said his mother, raising 
one hand in smiling protest against this volley 
of questions. “ If you listen a moment I’ll tell 
you all I know about it and then one question at 
a time, if you please. Your father got word 
from Mr. Cotter to start the fires in the house 
and have it thoroughly aired, sunned and 
heated, every day this week. That is all I know 
about it.” 

“ Do you suppose they are really coming back 
to Sunnyview? ” asked the boy eagerly. 

“ Well, it certainly looks as if someone might 
come. Perhaps they are going to spend Christ- 
mas here.” 


A PIECE OF NEWS 


5 


Jimmie gave such a war-whoop at his mother’s 
words that the brown, curly dog under the table 
jumped with a bark of joy, as if he anticipated 
great times. 

Now, Jimmie, run to the door and call father. 
Breakfast is ready and there is a busy day be- 
fore him.” 

After breakfast Jimmie had to shovel a path 
to the woodshed and fill the woodbox near the 
kitchen stove. This and several other chores 
kept him busy till school time. He had more 
than a mile to walk to school, but the snow was 
not very deep and when about half way he met 
a farmer, driving in his sleigh, on the way to 
town. Jimmie was invited to jump in, and he 
reached the schoolhouse in time to help half a 
dozen boys make an immense snowball before 
the bell rang. 

I am afraid Jimmie’s thoughts wandered 
many times during the school hours. In the 
reading lesson, visions of good times would 
crowed themselves before the boy’s mind no mat- 
ter how hard he tried to think of his book. In- 
deed I am not at all sure that he tried very hard 


6 


JIMMIE SUTER 


to think of books.’ His thoughts were busy with 
schemes to have some rare sport if Rand came 
to Sunnyview for Christmas. He was just in 
the midst of planning to make a fine double run- 
ner if Rand had a sled, when suddenly his name 
was called and he had to stand and admit before 
the whole class that he had lost his place. Jim- 
mie’s face turned red and he felt very much 
ashamed. It was the first time in his life that 
he had ever been so stupid. It was provoking 
too, because he knew he would have to stay after 
school, and it was just the day he wanted to get 
home early. 

When Miss Drew said in her brisk, cheery 
voice, Why, Jimmie, I am very much sur- 
prised,” he felt his face grow hot and he wished 
more than ever that he had attended to his 
lesson. 

Shad Wilber, who sat opposite, slid down be- 
hind his reader so that the teacher could not see 
him and whispered : “ Ha, ha ! teacher’s pet 

caught at last.” Jimmie heard the taunt and it 
did not make him feel any happier. In fact it 
made him very angry. To be called “ teacher’s 


A PIECE OF NEWS 


7 


pet’^ was almost as bad in Jimmie’s eyes as it 
would be to be called “ sissy.” Not that our 
hero did not like his teacher. He was really 
very fond of Miss Drew and thought much of 
her good opinion, but there never was a really 
manly boy at Jimmie’s age who liked to be 
known as “ teacher’s pet,” and he resented it to 
such an extent that he glared across the aisle at 
Shad Wilber, and then never raised his eyes 
from the reading-book before him till the lesson 
was over. 

Shad Wilber was the only boy in school who 
did not like Jimmie Suter. Everybody knew the 
reason. At one time Shad had set a bulldog to 
kill a cat and Jimmie had held the dog, until 
the cat got away safely, then he had had a quar- 
rel with the cowardly Shad, and given him a few 
punches and promised many more if he again 
caught him at his cruel sport. 

Shad was sly, tricky, and did not tell the 
truth. Jimmie, frank and open in all his deal- 
ings, honest, and a lover of fair play, had noth- 
ing in common with a boy like Shad and felt a 
certain contempt for his mean traits. 


8 


JIMMIE EUTER 


Shad Wilber felt this keenly at times and he 
hated Jimmie accordingly. He was also jealous 
of our hero, because he was a leader among the 
boys. 

You may be very sure Shad was pleased be- 
cause Jim had to stay after school. But the 
longest hour after school must end, and when 
Jimmie had made up his lesson and received a 
bit of admonition from the bright little teacher, 
he felt better, and when outside he fairly flew 
over the road that took him home. 

When Jimmie Suter arrived at the house he 
made straight for the woodshed. A corner of 
it, containing a bench and his tool chest, had 
been set apart for his own special use, for Jim- 
mie was very clever with his tools and at this 
time was busy making something for his little 
brother. Tod, for a Christmas present. He had 
decided to make a rocking horse, an original one 
in which Tod would have to be his own horse. 
He had fashioned two long rockers from a board 
given him by his father, and had whittled and 
planed them down until they suited his purpose. 
Then he had procured some barrel staves, sawed 


A PIECE OF NEWS 


9 


them into thirds, and taking the middle part 
of each stave had nailed it securely on the 
rockers. 

When it was finished, he intended to paint it 
red and attach reins to holes bored in the rock- 
ers. Little Tod could sit on a small seat, hold 
the reins and play horse to his heart’s content. 

Jimmie had only a few minutes to work on the 
toy, as there were a great many chores to be 
done, and he didn’t want Tod to catch a glimpse 
of it till Christmas morning. 

When he heard Duke, the brown dog, barking, 
he suspected that Tod was near at hand, so he 
put up his tools and hurried out of the shed, 
taking care to bolt the door in order to keep out 
his inquisitive little brother. 

“Did you, hear anything more about Band’s 
folks coming here? ” asked Jimmie, when he 
walked into the kitchen to find his mother sit- 
ting at the window braiding mats, and Tod and 
the baby gurgling with delight over the soap bub- 
bles they were blowing. 

“ No, Jimmie, but I went over there to-day 
and looked through the house. I wouldn’t be 


10 


JIMMIE SUTER 


surprised to hear something from the house- 
keeper in a day or two.” 

Did they ever spend Christmas here be- 
fore? ” asked Jimmie. 

“ Not in my time, but I have heard that a long 
time ago, before Rand was born, when his mother 
was alive and well, there was a great house party 
there one Christmas season, and for weeks there 
was sleighing and skating and outdoor sports 
every day and music and merrymaking at night. 

Mrs. MacLeod, she was Alice Fish then, told 
me that one night there was a great party and all 
the ladies had their hair powdered and rolled 
up high in great puffs and wore old-fashioned 
petticoats of quilted satin, with bodices and 
high-heeled shoes, and the men ’wore wigs and 
satin coats with lace on their sleeves and buckles 
on their shoes, and they danced in the great hall 
up there with slow, stately measure and low 
bows and much courtesying, and she never saw 
anything half so pretty. But all that, you know, 
was in the old house.” 

“Why, I never knew there was any other 
house there,” said Jim. 


A PIECE OF NEWS 


11 


^^Oh, yes indeed, there was a much larger 
house in those days and a great stable filled with 
horses ; but there was a fire one night and it was 
completely destroyed. For years there was noth- 
ing there but the ruins of the mansion. Mr. Cot- 
ter went abroad, when his wife died, and re- 
mained away for years. In the meantime your 
father bought this land and built our cottage. 
Then one day Band’s father came back and the 
present house was built there, and every summer 
they came and brought Band, a delicate little 
boy a year older than you.” 

“ But Band never saw Sunnyview in winter 
did he, mother? ” 

“No, I think not.” 

“ Oh, I just hope he comes. We’ve had jolly 
good times in the past few summers, but I’d 
show him what fun is if he’d come here in 
winter.” 

Jimmie would have talked on for an hour, if 
his mother had listened, but she had to put aside 
her mats and prepare supper, leaving Jimmie 
with a head full of great schemes for the future. 


CHAPTER II 


PLANNING AN ICE-BOAT 

Jimmie was working away on Tod’s Christmas 
present the following day, when he heard his 
father calling him. 

“ There’s a letter in the post office for you,” 
said his father, when Jimmie appeared at the 
door. “ It’s been there two days, so Alec Mac- 
Leod tells me. If I had had the time I would 
have called there ; as it is, I am afraid you’ll have 
to wait till to-morrow.” 

Jimmie was disappointed when he learned 
that he would have to wait a whole day for the 
letter, but he said cheerfully : “ It must be from 
Rand Cotter, telling me about his coming to 
Sunny view, don’t you think so, father? ” 

“ Yes, likely. I think he’s coming here for the 
holidays and you’ll have plenty of snow if I’m 
a weather prophet,” he added, looking at the 
masses of snow-clouds overhead. 


12 


plan : s [ i:^^g ai ^ ice-boat 13 

Jimmie went back to his work bench and be- 
gan to bore the holes in the rocker, but his mind 
was occupied with the thoughts of the letter and 
the news it might contain. 

He had never received a letter through the 
mails but once before in his life. The occasion 
came back vividly as he bent over his work. He 
would never forget that event because it was 
then that he had received his treasured tool chest. 

He remembered every particular of the alfair, 
as if it had all happened the day before, and still 
it was when he was a very small boy that Miss 
Winn, his Sunday-school teacher, had said to 
the boys one morning, just before the Sunday- 
school was dismissed : 

“ I think we have the kindest and best Santa 
Claus in the world in our little church, and this 
Christmas he wants to be sure to get the right 
things for his boys and girls, so he told me to 
ask you all to write him a letter, in which each 
boy may tell what he would like to have more 
than anything else in the world.” 

Well, that was a happy Christmas! Jimmie 
had written that he wanted a tool chest, a fine one 


14 


JIMMIE 8VTER 


that he could make “ real, truly things with,” 
and not only had he received his splendid tool 
chest, but the nicest letter from Santa Claus and 
it came through the mail, just the way grown 
folks get their letters. His mother had kept the 
letter carefully in a little box, so that he would 
always have it. 

He had not wholly understood it at the time, 
but his mother had explained it to him and he 
had shown it, at her suggestion, to Miss Winn, 
who liked it so well that she had read it to all 
the boys in her class and had talked it over with 
them. 

Perhaps I had better reproduce it, or at least 
a part of it, so that you may know about it too. 

I am glad, Jimmie,” so the letter ran, “ that 
one of my boys would like to have a tool chest. 
It is a good thing for any boy to own and I hope 
you will plan and build many fine things — boxes 
and tables and toy houses, but all the time I 
want you to build something else of far greater 
value than these, the most important task in the 
world for you. 

“ It is called character, Jimmie. It is some- 


PLACING AN ICE-BOAT 


15 


thing that every one of us begins to build in 
childhood. You can destroy the tables and 
chairs and houses, no matter how strongly you 
may put them together, but if this great thing 
called character is builded well, you cannot de- 
stroy it, so you see how important it is to start it 
right. 

“ You will need in this character-building first 
of all, honesty. Have it in every corner, use it 
all the time. It will make your house, that is 
your character, so strong that nothing can de- 
stroy it.” 

Well, there was a little more, but that was the 
way the letter read, and although Jimmie was 
only a little fellow at the time, he thought about 
it. All boys want to become strong and great 
and if honesty is going to make them so, they 
are bound to be honest and I feel very sure that 
courage, perseverance, industry and success will 
follow as naturally as the great rivers fiow to 
the sea. 

The holes in the runners were made at last to 
Jimmie’s satisfaction. He had now only to 
paint it and attach the reins, that his mother 


16 


JIMMIE EXJTER 


was knitting in the long evenings, when little 
Tod was safely tucked away in bed. 

In a short time Jimmie put aside his w^ork and 
went out for a coast down Sunset Hill, still 
thinking of the good times ahead if Rand Cotter 
came to the big white house for Christmas. 

Rand and Jimmie had known each other for 
many years and although they met only in the 
summer vacations, they had become great 
friends. 

It was true that Rand was the son of a rich 
man, lived in a fine house, went to a private 
school in Boston, and had every wish gratified. 
Jimmie’s father was a carpenter, and a good one, 
too. He owned his cottage and had something 
laid by for a rainy day, and did not owe anybody 
in the world. Jimmie went to a little country 
school with a score of other boys as poor as him- 
self. Did I call Jimmie poor? That was a slip, 
because Jimmie was rich, with the countless 
riches of youth and health, of a fine mind in a 
vigorous body; and as both Rand and Jimmie 
were brave, manly, and honest, they met on 
equal terms. 


PLA:t^mi!^G A-N ICE-BOAT 


17 


As Jimmie enjoyed the coasting down the hill 
that day he made up his mind to do a great many 
things in the weeks following. Perhaps there 
would be good skating, a sport that he always 
enjoyed. 

Sometimes, in the winter, after a severe rain- 
storm, the marsh brook overflowed its banks and 
then if a cold night came, it made an immense 
tract of ice. 

During the summer Jimmie went canoeing in 
the marsh brook, in a fine canoe, that he had 
made out of cheese-boxes. 

There would be no more sailing now till the 
warm weather, unless — and the idea flashed 
all at once into his mind — he sailed in an ice- 
boat! 

Wouldn’t it be great sport to make an ice- 
boat, and he felt that he could do it, too ! In a 
second he was busy planning out the whole 
affair. 

To have an ice-boat that would spin over the 
marsh brook, when it was like a sheet of glass, 
would be rare sport indeed! In the first place 
Jimmie decided that he would have to get a boat; 


18 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


any old flat-bottomed boat would answer his pur- 
pose; but the next question was w’here could he 
get such a boat, or for that matter, where and 
how could he procure a boat at all? There was 
not such a thing at Sunnyview ; nobody he knew 
owned a boat of any description. 

But get a boat he would, and with this deter- 
mination Jimmie reached the top of Sunset Hill 
for his last coast. 

After taking a short run, he threw himself 
forward on the sled, his hand on the runners, 
and went flying down the hill over a couple of 
“ thank-you ma’ams ” that he had made the day 
before. 

He took short coasts almost to his door and 
went inside, the subject of the ice-boat still up- 
permost in his mind. 

That evening after supper, just as his father 
started to read the newspaper, Jim said : 

“ Do you know anybody who owns an old boat, 
father? ” 

“ A boat,” repeated the man, shaking his head, 
“I don’t think there are any boats about here, 
unless Ben Kidgeway, up the lake, has one.” 


PLAmil^G AN ICE-BOAT 19 

“ Why ! so he has,” cried Jim, “ I never thought 
of him. I wonder if he’d sell.” 

“ Are you thinking of buying a boat? ” asked 
John Suter, looking at his boy with a smile and 
opening the newspaper. 

“ I’d like to get one, father ; I’m thinking of 
making an ice-boat and he might sell me an old 
one that would be just the thing. I have thirty- 
seven cents in my bank and of course he couldn’t 
charge very much for an old boat.” 

“ Well, Jimmie,” and his father’s smile deep- 
ened, “ I don’t know how many boats Ben Ridge- 
way has in his possession or how old they may 
be, but you may be certain that he would not sell 
one for thirty-seven cents.” 

“ How much do you suppose he’d ask for a 
boat, father? ” 

“ Why, that I can’t tell. A good boat is worth 
something, and a very poor one isn’t worth 
much.” 

But, father, a very old one would suit me. 
I could go over it and make it strong, you know.” 

“Well, Jimmie, he may have one up there 
that is crumbling to ruin, but Ben never makes 


20 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


a poor bargain. He’d get every cent that the 
thing was worth, and a great deal more.” 

“ He might sell one for half a dollar — I’d only 
need thirteen cents more, if he did,” ventured 
Jimmie, looking at his father hopefully. 

“Oh, I’ll give you the thirteen to make the 
fifty,” laughed the man, “ but I doubt you’ll get 
a boat for it.” o 

In spite of the foregoing conversation, which 
was not very encouraging, Jimmie made up his 
mind to see Ben Kidgeway just as soon as he 
possibly could. 


CHAPTER III 


A BID FOR A BOAT 

“ Another day, clear and bright, one day nearer 
Christmas and, perhaps, a day nearer Rand Cot- 
ter!” This thought came to Jimmie as he 
jumped out of bed the following morning and 
looked at the big white house. 

He hurried through his work that morning 
and started a half-hour earlier than usual for 
school, because he had to go to the post office to 
get his letter. 

When he arrived there, he ran quickly up the 
steps, but when once inside the door and stand- 
ing before the window, our hero hesitated. All 
his bashfulness (and on certain occasions Jim- 
mie Suter w^as very bashful) swept over him, 
like the warm color that suffused his brown, 
freckled face. 

It might have been caused by the appearance 
21 


22 


JIMMIE SUTER 


of Minnie Day and Susie Hibbard, two of the 
largest girls in Jimmie’s school, who stood near 
him munching candy, and when the postmistress 
looked over her glasses at Jimmie and said: 
^‘Mail?” they tittered right out loud, making 
Jimmie’s brown cheeks redder than ever. 

“ Is there a letter for me, Jimmie Suter, if you 
please? ” he asked, blushing furiously. 

‘‘Mr. James Suter,” said the postmistress, 
passing over the letter with a smile, while Min- 
nie and Susie buried their faces in their hand- 
kerchiefs, quite overcome with mirth. Jimmie 
felt at that moment that he just hated girls ; they 
were always giggling at something; but he hur- 
ried out of the post office, his precious letter 
clasped in his hand. At the first corner, safe 
from interruption, he looked it over, on the out- 
side. It was really so exciting to get a letter 
with his name and address beautifully written, 
that he lingered over that envelope for the shade 
of a second ; then he hastily tore it open and read 
as follows : 


A BID FOR A BOAT. 


23 


Dear Jimmie : 

“ Here’s a piece of news for you. I am 
coming to Sunnyview for Christmas, so be on the 
lookout for me sometime next week. I have not 
been very w^ell this winter and the doctor told 
my father to take me out of school till the 
Spring. 

“ You would think that a piece of luck, I 
know, but I am a little disappointed, as the 
boys had just made me captain of the football 
team. 

“ Well, hurrah for Sunnyview and the marsh 
brook and the pine woods and little Tod and 
Duke and Jimmie Suter ! 

“ We can’t sail our canoe, can we, but we’ll 
coast down Sunset Hill and plan no end of fun. 

“ Yours for a jolly good time, 

“ Band Cotter.” 

Jimmie placed the letter carefully in the en* 
velope and put it in his pocket. What a surprise 
he would give Rand! They could not sail in 
their canoe but they could go flying over the 
marsh brook in an ice-boat. 


24 


JIMMIE EUTER 


Jimmie went on liis way to scliool with quick 
steps, but his mind was swifter than his feet, 
for in an incredibly short time he had the ice- 
boat in a magnificent state of completion, had 
launched it on the marsh and was taking flying 
trips, himself the captain and Rand Cotter first 
mate. All this you understand was accom- 
plished in his mind before the bell rang for 
school. 

It was strange how that ice-boat would crowd 
itself into everything that morning. Even in the 
arithmetic lesson when Jimmie tried to subtract 
seven thousand, eight hundred and sixteen from 
nine thousand, six hundred and four, Jimmie 
w’rote out the figures 9604—7816 and started out 
by saying, “ six from four leaves two,” truly a 
remarkable statement and yet not so remarkable 
when you consider that the picture of a magnifi- 
cent ice-boat had wedged itself right between 
Jimmie Suter’s eyes and those figures. 

Our hero had received permission from his 
mother to pay a visit to Ben Ridgeway when 
school was over that day, so he did not take his' 
usual course but went through the village till he 


A BID FOR A BOAT 25 

struck the road that led directly to the lake and 
the old man^s place. 

Ben’s place (he was commonly called Old Ben 
by the townspeople) consisted of a fair-sized 
barn and several shanties, on the borders of the 
lake. 

In one of these the old man lived quite alone, 
the others were used in his extensive hen and 
duck business. He also had a number of pigeons, 
among them some noted tumblers, in the loft of 
the barn. 

Every year he raised hundreds of chickens and 
ducks for market and sold quantities of eggs. 
In spite of an apparently thriving business, 
Ben was looked upon as a poor old man, 
though sharp and shrewd in his dealings with 
others. 

When Jimmie came within sight of the lake, 
he looked eagerly for a glimpse of a boat, and as 
he drew nearer saw one tied to a small landing. 
It looked rather old and the boy’s spirits rose as 
he thought of the possible bargain that would 
make him the owner. 

So intent was his gaze that he never saw Ben 


26 JIMMIE SUTER 

Kidgeway approaching, till the latter said in a 
loud voice : 

“ Hello, Sonny, ain’t yer lost up here? ” 

“ No, sir,” laughed Jimmie, “ I came up here 
to see you.” 

“ I want ter know! Well, I reckon yer didn’t 
come fer nothin’.” 

“ I came to see if you had an old boat you’d 
like to sell.” 

“ Oh, that’s it, is it,” said the man, eyeing Jim- 
mie shrewdly; ‘‘jest walk over to the house and 
when we’re inside we’ll talk it over.” 

“Ain’t it a queer time ter come buyin’ a’ 
boat?” asked Ben, when they were both seated 
in the narrow kitchen, before a good warm fire. 

“ Not for my purpose,” said Jimmie, smiling. 
“ You see, I want to make an ice-boat and I 
thought if you had an old ‘ fiat-bottom ’ boat that 
you didn’t need I might be able to buy it.” 

“ An’ how in kingdom are you goin’ ter make 
an ice-boat outer an old fiat-bottom tub, I’d like 
ter know.” 

“ Oh, it’s easy enough, sir, I shall put on run- 
ners, hoist a sail, and have something to steer it. 


A BID FOR A BOAT 27 

That’s about the plan. Of course I may think of 
something better as I go along with it.” 

“Ye’re a smart boy, Jimmie,” said the man 
after a pause, “ an’ better nor that ye’re a good 
boy, yer never come up here with Shad Wilber 
an’ his crowd a-peltin’ stones at my ducks. 

“Shad Wilber!” repeated the old man, his 
face growing dark with anger, and he shook his 
fist. “ If ever I catch that rascal. I’ll fix him ! 
I’ll have the law on him yet. I thought to have 
the law on him last summer, when he lamed my 
finest geese, but he sneaked out of it, but I’ll get 
him yet.” 

Ben sat with bowed head, and a silence, broken 
only by the ticking of an old-fashioned clock on 
the mantel piece, followed this outbreak. At last 
the man raised his head and looked steadily at 
his visitor. 

“ I have a fiat-bottom boat, not a very old one 
either — jest the thing yer want, an’ I’ll let yer 
have it.” 

Jimmie’s heart bounded at the news, but it 
sank again when the old man added : 

“ Fer two dollars, Jimmie, that boat is yours.” 


28 


JIMMIE SUTER 


“ Oh, I couldn’t pay as much as that, sir,” cried 
the boy. 

But it’s a fine boat, lad, an’ think o’ the good 
times you’ll have when you’ve fixed it all up with 
them runners that yer told about. Why! it’s a 
bargain, a rare piece o’ luck, yer won’t get the 
like on it in Sunnyview.” 

“ Could I see the boat? ” asked Jimmie, who 
did not want to repeal that he could not pay the 
price asked. 

The old man arose slowly and opened the door. 

It’s out back here,” he said, leading the way 
out of the kitchen and past the shanties to a sort 
of lumber yard where in the midst of broken 
hen-coops and odd pieces of timber Jimmie spied 
an old boat, with the bottom half gone. 

You don’t mean two dollars for that old 
boatj do you? ” said Jim, w^hose courage went up 
when he saw it. 

It’s not as old as it looks, boy, there’s only a 
board or two missin’ ; you could fix that in half 
an hour — half an hour, yes, in fifteen minutes a 
smart boy like you could make it look like a new 
boat.” 


A BID FOR A BOAT 


29 


‘‘Well, sir,” said Jimmie, with evident disap- 
pointment, “ I couldn’t possibly pay two dollars 
for it, nor even a dollar, so there’s no use in stay- 
ing' any longer.” 

He turned to go, but the man, eager to sell the 
old boat, which he knew was not worth a quarter 
of the price he asked, placed a hand on Jimmie’s 
shoulder. 

“ I’ll tell you what I’ll do, seein’ it’s you an’ 
you’re sech a good boy. I’ll let you have the boat 
for a dollar and a quarter — now don’t tell me 
that yer can’t pay that,” he added, as Jimmie 
shook his head; “any smart boy like you can 
earn a dollar and a quarter in no time. Go home 
and think it over, lad, think it over and come up 
here again when you’ve got the money.” 

“I’ve got just thirty-seven cents, sir, but my 
father would give me thirteen more to make fifty 
and I’m sure that is all I could pay,” returned 
Jimmie, starting to walk away. 

“ Think it over, lad, think it over,” repeated 
Ben, “ it’s the only boat you can get for love or 
money anywheres about here. It’s cheap, it’s 
very cheap, Jimmie, an’ you’re a big, strong boy, 


30 


JIMMIE SUTER 


you can easily make up the dollar and a quarter, 

think it over, think it over ” 

They had reached the door of Ben Ridgeway’s 
habitation and while the old man stood there, 
peering at Jimmie from under his bushy eye- 
brows, a smile on his weather-beaten face, our 
hero raised his cap and started for home. 


CHAPTER IV 

HONEST WORK AND ANOTHER KIND 

All the way home Jim thought hard about the 
boat. It was just what he wanted. He could fix 
it up to look like a new boat, but the money to 
buy it, that was the rub ! 

Fifty cents was all he could afford to pay for 
it, and deep down in his heart he felt that that 
was quite enough for the old boat. Still if he 
only had the seventy-five more he knew that he 
would buy it. 

A dollar and a quarter! It was really not so 
much after all, and yet to a boy who only got a 
few pennies now and then it was quite a sum of 
money. 

Suddenly the old man’s suggestion flashed into 
his mind. Why could he not earn seventy-five 
cents? He began to ask himself what he could 
do to earn some money. 

31 


32 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


He was certainly able to chop wood, run er- 
rands, shovel snow, do anything in fact that a 
boy could do. He did not know anybody who 
wanted a boy for any special work, but he de- 
termined to make inquiries. A better plan than 
that, however, suggested itself to Jimmie that 
very night, as he sat at the kitchen table whit- 
tling a long stick that was going to be used in 
making an original whip for brother Tod^s home- 
made rocking horse. 

He decided to put up a notice in the post office. 
A great many people passed in and out during 
the day and it would be sure to catch somebody’s 
eye,' reasoned Jim. He put away the stick he 
was whittling, procured pen, ink, and paper and 
began to write. The simplest and most direct 
way always appealed to Jimmie, so he wrote in 
a large, boyish hand the following: 

“ A strong boy wants any kind of work after 
school hours and on Saturdays.” 

Then he wrote his name and address and held 
the paper at arm’s length to see how it looked. 

He passed it to his father and mother, who 
had already heard the plan and approved it. 


HONEST WORK 


33 


The next morning Jimmie put up the notice 
in the post office and went on his way rejoic- 
ing. 

More snow fell that night and our hero had 
visions of shoveling snow and in this way earn- 
ing ten or fifteen cents to add to his precious 
fifty, but the snow did not bring him anything, 
except perhaps a bit of news that he heard the 
following day. 

“ Talk about fun,” said Hank Allen ; “ Shad 
Wilber and a lot of us saw Ben Ridgeway coming 
down Cedar Road in his old pung. We just laid 
for him behind the stone wall and when he 
passed, we plugged the old nag he was driving 
and that pung with snow balls till you couldn’t 
see. He was furious. Whew! you ought to ’a’ 
seen him jump down and run for us with his 
whip, but we scooted for all we were worth, with 
our caps pulled down so he wouldn’t know us. 
He shook his fi&t and hollered. I tell you what, 
didn’t we laugh ! Shad let him have a snowball 
on the hat. Oh, Jimmie, you ought to have been 
there ! ” 

“ If I had been there I’d have punched Shad 


34 


JIMMIE SUTER 


Wilber, and you can tell him I said so if you 
want; it’s just like that sneak to do something 
mean and then run away.” 

‘‘ Why ! what was mean about it? ” asked 
Hank, surprised at Jimmie’s outburst. 

“ Don’t you call it mean to plague an old man 
and throw snowballs at him? Would you like 
Shad Wilber and those fellows to lie in wait for 
your father and pelt him like that? Well I guess 
you wouldn’t!” cried Jimmie in boyish in- 
dignation. 

Well, I don’t think any of the boys meant to 
hit the old man, they just threw the snowballs 
at the rig, you know — wanted some sport with 
the old nag.” 

Pretty mean sport, I call it,” returned Jim- 
mie, and just then the bell rang and our hero 
dismissed the matter from his mind. 

On his way home from school that day Jimmie 
met George Marron, who had a large milk route 
in the town. 

“ Hello, Jimmie,” said the man, I’ve just 
been up to your house. I read your notice in the 
post office last night and, as my boy, Joe, is laid 


HONEST WORK 35 

up, I thought you could help me out for a few 
days.’^ 

Jimmie’s heart bounded at the news. “ I’d be 
glad to,” he said, “ when do you want me to 
begin?” 

“ To-morrow morning. I’ve talked it over 
with your mother and she says you can get up 
good an’ early without any trouble. I’m glad 
you’re an early riser; we have to start things 
long ’fore daylight, you know.” 

“ What time shall I be over to your place? ” 
asked Jimmie. 

“ Five o’clock ’ll be time enough, this time o’ 
year ; you see we don’t git ’round so early in win- 
ter as we do in summer. We start out about six 
and you’ll be all through by half-past eight, 
giving you plenty of time for school.” 

All right,” said Jimmie, “ I’ll be there.” 
And he hurried homeward over the white fields, 
delighted at his good fortune in securing some 
work. The ice-boat seemed more real than ever. 

The next morning when everything was black 
as midnight and the old clock in the kitchen was 
striking four, Jimmie arose, made a hasty 


36 


JIMMIE SUTER 


toilet, and went softly down stairs so as not to 
awaken the other members of the house. 

In the kitchen he found the lantern that his 
father had placed there for him all ready to use. 
He struck a match, lit the lantern, then drawing 
on his overshoes, putting on his thick coat, and 
pulling his cap over his ears, he started out, lan- 
tern in hand, in the crisp air and the darkness. 

Jimmie had a pretty good journey before him, 
but he reached George Marron’s farm at quarter 
before five and worked every minute of the time 
until he jumped off the team in front of the 
schoolhouse at twenty minutes before nine. 

Our hero was very happy at the prospect of 
earning some money, and thus be in a position to 
buy Ben Ridgeway’s boat. He figured it all out 
in his mind and came to the conclusion that he 
would earn a great deal more than the seventy- 
five cents necessary to close the bargain. 

But Jimmie was a little too hasty in his cal- 
culations, as he found out later when Mr. Mar- 
ron called at his house that night and told him 
that his boy, Joe, was better and going to resume 
work the next morning. 


HONEST WORK 


37 


But you did first-rate for a green hand,” said 
the man, passing a half-dollar to Jimmie, “ and 
if ever I want help. I’ll call on you. Next time 
it will probably be more.” 

“ Thank you,” said Jimmie, putting the well- 
earned fifty cents in his pocket. 

Of course our hero was disappointed that he 
could not have worked a little longer and thus 
have earned more; still he felt very happy over 
the thought that he now had one dollar all his 
own, and only needed twenty-five cents more to 
make the sum required to buy the boat. 

When another whole day and then another 
passed without bringing an opportunity to earn 
anything, Jimmie’s stock of patience fell pretty 
low. He wanted to begin at once on the ice-boat, 
in order to have it finished before Band Cotter 
came to Sunnyview for Christmas ; and of course 
he could not do anything till he had the boat 
from Ben Kidgeway. If he could only buy the 
boat for a dollar, he could begin at once. 

Suddenly the thought came to him to make 
another effort to buy it and offer the dollar. 
“Perhaps when Ben sees the cash,” thought 


38 JIMMIE 8UTER 

Jimmie, “ he’ll be willing to sell the boat for that 
sum.” 

With the firm determination to get it, if he 
possibly could, he started for Ben’s place, after 
school that day, his precious dollar rolled up in 
a handkerchief, safe in his inside pocket. 

He met the old man, nearly a quarter of a mile 
from his shanty, cutting down brush and dead 
branches, near the woods. 

“ Oh, it’s you, is it,” said Ben, by way of greet- 
ing, and then proceeded wuth his work. 

Mr. Ridgeway,” said Jimmie, the color deep- 
ening in his cheeks, “ I have one dollar, and I 
came up here to-day to see if you’d sell that boat 
for it.” 

“No, I won’t,” said the old man testily. “ I 
told yer the other day my terms was one dollar 
and twenty-five an’ I mean to stick to it.” 

Jimmie was silent a moment, w’hile the old 
man stopped his work and eyed the boy 
narrowly. 

Jimmie returned his gaze and it struck him 
all at once that Ben seemed provoked about 
something. The lines on his w^eather-beaten face 


HONEST WORK 39 

were deeper than ever and the tones of his voice 
harsh and irritable. 

“ Yer only hed thirty-seven cents when yer 
was up here the other day, how’d yer get the rest 
of it?” he asked sharply.- 

“ My father gave me thirteen, that made fifty, 
and I earned the other fifty by working for Mr. 
Marron one morning when his boy, Joe, was 
sick.” 

The old man^s face softened as Jimmie’s 
words fell upon his ears, and he regarded the 
boy with something like approval. 

“ Well, Jimmie, you’re a pretty honest boy, I 
guess, an’ now I’ll tell yer somethin’. How’d yer 
like to do something fer me an’ I’ll pay you a 
quarter for it — that’s all you need ter get the 
boat. It’s easy work too, no trouble nor 
nothin’.” 

“All right, sir,” said Jimmie, “when do you 
want it done? ” 

“ You can take your own time about it, still I 
don’t know but what the sooner the better. 
Mebbe you couldn’t do it all at once. You’ll have 
to be careful and git every one.” 


40 


JIMMIE EUTER 


In his eagerness to earn the twenty-five cents 
Jim had never questioned the work Ben Ridge- 
way wished him to perform. All at once his 
curiosity came to the fore and he said : 

“ What do you wish me to do, sir? ” 

The old man’s face beamed for a minute, as 
he looked at the boy. He dropped his ax and 
came a step nearer. 

“ I want yer to get a list of names for me, 
that’s easy, ain’t it? ” 

“ I don’t understand what you mean,” said 
Jimmie, puzzled at the old man’s words and 
manner. 

“ I’ll tell yer, Jimmie. I was coming’ down 
Cedar Road the other day, when a crowd o’ them 
hoodlum raskils, that lamed my geese last sum- 
mer, threw snowballs at me. They ran when I 
went after them and I can’t find out who 
they were, but I’ll find out yet an’ I’ll have the 
law on ’em. I’ll fix ’em yet.” The old man’s 
voice trembled with anger and he shook his 
finger. 

He seemed to forget Jimmie’s presence and 
raved and swore against the mischief-makers. 


HONEST WORK 41 

After several minutes he calmed down and said 
to the lad, who stood there looking on in amaze- 
ment at this unexpected outburst: 

“You’re the one that can get the names of 
every one for me, but you must be sly about it. 
Don’t let ’em know that ye’re findin’ out fer me. 
Even if yer can get one or two names that’s all 
I want. I’ll fix ’em! I’ll teach them to throw 
snowballs ! An’ they’ll wish, aye an’ their good- 
fer-nothin’ fathers ’ll wish they’d let me alone.” 

Again Ben flew into a rage and muttered 
threats against his enemies, while Jimmie stood 
there in silence, disappointment visible on eveiy 
feature. 

He wanted the boat that Ben had to sell more 
than anything else in the world, just at that mo- 
ment, and he had jumped at the chance to do 
something for the man that would earn for him- 
self the money necessary to complete the sum; 
but when he learned the nature of the work he 
was asked to perform, every fiber of his being 
shrank from the task. 

It was mean, cowardly sport to plague an old 
man, and to throw a snowball at him was not 


42 


JIMMIE SUTER 


only cowardly but criminal; but Jimmie knew 
that most of the boys who had been in the party 
had acted thoughtlessly. Hank Allen, for in- 
stance, the very boy who had related the episode 
to him, was not a bad boy by any means. 

The boys had thrown snowballs at the sleigh, 
as it went by, without any malice, and the mat- 
ter w’ould have ended there, very likely, if Shad 
Wilber had not had a hand in it. 

But whether it was right or wrong, cowardly 
or otherwise, was not the question that troubled 
Jim. To go among the boys, find out just who 
were the guilty ones, and give their names to the 
old man, who was longing for revenge, would be 
the act of a sneak. 

' To be a tattletale, an informer, to take money 
for an underhand, sneaky act like that, the mere 
thought of it caused a feeling of shame and con- 
tempt to sweep over Jimmie Suter, but he only 
stood there as if dumb, w’hile the old man went 
on: 

“ Now you jest get that list o’ names an’ bring 
it to me; I’ll put a quarter to thet dollar an’ the 
boat is yours.” 



“What-not g-it a few names fer me?” — Page 43 




V 


HONEST WORK 43 

For a second Jimmie could not trust himself 
to speak, then he said quietly: 

I couldn’t do that, sir, I didn’t know you 
meant that kind of work.” 

“ What ! ” cried Ben, his anger bursting out 
afresh, “ you mean to tell me that you won’t do 
what I jest asked yer — not git a few names fer 
me? ” 

No, sir, I couldn’t do that.” 

Then yer aidin’ an’ abettin’ them, ye’re jest 
as much to blame as they are — consarn yer, yer 
young puppy, what der yer mean by cornin’ here 
an’ defyin’ me on my own ground? ” 

He stooped in the midst of his rage, and pick- 
ing up the ax, shook it threateningly; but Jimmie, 
without waiting to hear more, took to his heels, 
and ran as if for dear life away from the scene. 


CHAPTER V 

SNOWBOUND 

Jimmie never stopped running till there was a 
good safe distance between himself and Ben. 
When he did slacken his speed to a brisk walk 
he looked back occasionally to see if the angry 
old man was in sight. 

He was surprised and disappointed over the 
turn of affairs, but there was nothing to be done 
but make the best of it. He must give up all 
thoughts of buying the boat and think of some 
other plan. 

It was too bad, though, when he had counted 
so on building a fine ice-boat and having it all 
ready before Rand Cotter came to Sunnyview. 

It was supper time when Jimmie reached 
home, to find his father and mother waiting for 
him. Indeed his mother had become anxious 
and had gone to the door several times to see if 
she could catch a glimpse of Jimmie, 


SNOWBOUND 


45 


You’re late, Jimmie,” said his father sternly. 

Prompt to the letter in all his appointments, 
John Suter did not like tardiness in any- 
body. To be on time and never keep the 
meals waiting was an unwritten law in the 
little cottage. 

“ Yes, father,” said the boy, hanging up his 
coat and cap, “ I went to see Ben Ridgeway again 
this afternoon about the boat. I wanted to ctffer 
him a dollar, and I came home the long way 
through the woods.” 

“ The long way,” repeated the man ; “ what 
ever made you do that? ” 

Thereupon Jimmie related the whole story 
while they all sat down to supper. 

“ I was scared, father,” said the boy, at the 
close of his narrative. “ Ben couldn’t speak, he 
got in such a rage; and w^hen I saw him pick 
up the ax I just ran as fast as ever I could. I 
didn’t stop to choose my road, but took the path 
through the woods. When I realized what I had 
done, I didn’t like to go back and run the risk 
of passing him, so I just kept on.” 

“ Now, keep away from him,” said John Suter. 


46 JIMMIE EVTER 

Never have anything to say to him again about 
the boat.” 

Poor old man,” said Jimmie’s mother, “ I 
pity him from my heart. He lives up there all 
alone with no one to care for him, and I suppose 
it has made him hard and strange to other folks. 

“ It was a shame to throw snowballs at him,” 
she added. I wouldn’t bother him any more, 
Jimmie, about the old boat. If ever you can do 
a good turn for him, do it — if not, keep out of 
his way.” 

That night when Jimmie Suter was warm in 
bed, he lay awake for some time making plans 
for the following week, but above all he thought 
of his cherished scheme to build an ice-boat. It 
was no wonder when he did fall asleep that he 
dreamt about it, and such a dream ! 

He was on a great, wide, frozen river in a 
small ice-boat. Rand Cotter sat in the bottom 
of the boat, tending the sail, and they were going 
at a terrific rate of speed. Houses and trees, and 
long stretches of country fiew past them, as if 
it was an express train. Behind them was an- 
other ice-boat, ten times larger than theirs, filled 


SNOWBOUND 


47 


with Indians; and right at the rudder sat Ben 
Ridgeway. He was shouting to Jimmie to stop 
and was trying his best to overtake them ; while 
every now and then a wild, painted Indian 
would jump high in the air and throw a toma- 
hawk at them. 

Never was a race so wildly exciting, as they 
flew over the frozen river, to which there seemed 
to be no end. 

All at once, away off in the distance, Jimmie 
saw a great waterfall frozen into a solid mass of 
ice. Nearer and nearer his little ice-boat ap- 
proached the ice-bound falls and he knew he 
must go over them. Behind him was Ben and the 
terrible Indians. He tried to shout to Rand Cot- 
ter to hold on tight to the sides of the ice-boat, 
as they went over the falls, with a drop of 
flfty feet. Then Jimmie awoke with a feeling 
that he had been trying very hard to make him- 
self heard, so that he was quite out of breath 
from his dream experience. 

But it was morning and such a morning! It 
had snowed all night and was still snowing 
fast. The back door was almost hidden by a 


48 


JIMMIE SUTER 


snowdrift, while only a glimpse of the tiny win- 
dow was visible on the woodshed. It snowed all 
that day, and the last look Jimmie took out of 
his window at night showed a white wilderness. 

“ And when the second morning shone, 

He looked upon a world unknown, 

On nothing we could call our own ; 

Around the glistening wonder bent 
The blue walls of the firmament ; 

No cloud above, no earth below 
A universe of sky and snow.” 


There was no prospect of going to school that 
day, or the next for that matter, and Jimmie was 
delighted. 

After breakfast he started in to help his father 
shovel snow and they worked steadily until din- 
ner time. 

There was more of the same kind of work to 
be done in the afternoon, and by nightfall Jim- 
mie’s back and shoulders ached, but they had 
cleared away the great drifts and made a path to 
every necessary point. 

As the roads were still unbroken Jimmie knew 
he would have to stay at home for the next few 


SNOWBOUND 


49 


days. He finished Tod’s rocking horse, painted 
it a beautiful bright red, and put it aside 
to dry. 

The whip that the little fellow could flourish 
over his head, while he rode on his fiery steed, 
was also painted. 

Jimmie’s mother had finished knitting the 
reins, and they had been put away until the 
paint was thoroughly dry. 

Our little toy-maker found two small bells in 
an old box where all sorts of things were stowed 
away, and these he attached to the reins to make 
a merry jingle. 

In the long evening he drew pictures of ice- 
boats and many other boats and toys. He heard 
his father and mother exchanging stories heard 
in their childhood — stories of the early settlers 
in a small Maine towm, their horror of the In- 
dians, their free, simple life and merrymaking. 

One evening during the snowbound time Jim- 
mie was idly drawing lines and curves on the 
paper before him, while his mother stood over a 
great pan of dough, kneading bread. 

Jimmie watched his mother for a minute be- 


50 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


tore it came to him that it was pretty hard work 
to toss and knead that mass of dough. 

Now Jimmie, like all manly boys, believed 
that hard, manual labor ought to be done by his 
sex if possible. His father was busy, but his own 
hands were free, and his mother must be tired 
after the long day. 

“ Mother, let me knead that bread,” said Jim- 
mie suddenly. 

“You!” said his mother, with a smile; “but 
you never did it in your life.” 

“ Never mind, just let me try it once,” coaxed 
Jimmie, beginning to roll up his sleeves. 

The woman did let him try and was very 
thankful to sit a few minutes and rest. She 
watched Jimmie’s strong arms kneading the 
bread, nor did the little sigh of relief that came 
from her, unconsciously, escape Jimmie’s quick 
ears. 

Wasn’t it splendid of Jimmie Suter to do that 
for his mother? If I were a boy I would not only 
knead the bread when occasion demanded it, I 
would actually learn how to make bread. 

Wouldn’t it be fine, boys, to know how to make 


mow BOUND 


51 


good bread and cook a few simple things well! 
If you camped out for a summer, how nice it 
would be to know about cooking; and suppose 
(I am only supposing, of course) that you were 
’way out in a big mining country, living in a log 
hut, doing your own cooking. 

Suppose circumstances arose that made it 
necessary to do your own cooking right at 
home. Think it over, boys. I think it’s a good 
thing! 

The next evening while Jimmie was busy, his 
mother read him a story that our hero liked very 
much. It was called “ Blind Bill’s Christmas,” 
and as it is not very long I am going to tell it 
to you. 

In the first place, you must know that Bill had 
not always been blind. For seven years after 
God had sent him to this “great, wide, beau- 
tiful, wonderful world” Bill could see as well 
as any boy who reads this story. 

Then a terrible thing happened to the poor 
boy. One summer day he had climbed a butter- 
nut tree with some other boys; and, more fear- 
less than wise, he had ventured out on a frail 


52 


JIMMIE SUTEB 


limb that snapped in two and hurled him to the 
ground, twenty feet below. 

Bill was in a big hospital for many months 
after his fall; and when he did come out one 
bright day, his sight had gone forever. 

But for seven years, you know, he had seen per- 
fectly well. I am very glad of this, because when 
the long days of darkness did come, he knew just 
how green was the grass, how blue the sky, and 
how beautiful the flowers! 

Everybody pitied Bill. Sometimes when his 
mother looked into the sightless eyes of her boy, 
her own fllled with tears ; her heart ached as only 
a mother’s heart can ache; and she cried from 
the depths of her sorrow, O my poor boy ! the 
pity of it, the pity of it.” 

But Bill never knew that his mother grieved 
for him, because her voice was always so cheery, 
and she told him such happy stories, that always 
ended beautifully, and she had so many bright 
ideas to help him through the long day. 

Little Bennie was sorry, too! When the ac- 
cident happened Bennie was only four years old, 
and he did not understand what it all meant. 


SNOWBOUND 


53 


He only knew that up to that time, he had had a 
big, strong brother to take him (who was only a 
little fellow) by the hand; but in the years that 
followed Bennie came to realize that this big 
brother must take his hand, that he, Little Ben, 
must look out for Bill. 

It made him very tender and loving to the big, 
strong brother, who had to hold his chubby hand, 
when they went out to walk. 

There wasn’t anybody else in the family, unless 
Bennie included the two tame squirrels that 
lived in a near-by tree, and called in the most 
neighborly way every day on the back porch to 
have a crust of bread and a friendly chat. 

One day a very important event happened in 
Bennie’s life. The little brown cottage that he 
called home was sold and a few days after, they 
all went on a long ride in the steam cars that 
took them to the great, busy, crowded city, with 
rows of houses and stores and the highest build- 
ings Bennie had ever seen. 

Instead of in a dear little cottage, peeping out 
from vines and bushes, they went to live in a 
great big tenement house. 


54 


JIMMIE SUTER 


It seemed very high and dark to little Bennie, 
as he followed his mother and Bill up the long, 
narrow stairs, and he said when they reached the 
tiny kitchen, “ Are we going to live here always, 
mother? ” 

He w^ondered why his mother turned her face 
away and did not answer, and why the tears 
streamed down her cheeks. He felt very sad 
for a moment; but when she turned and kissed 
his dear, little round face, and said, with a 
smile : 

“ We are going to live here a long time, I hope, 
Ben; and it will be such a pretty, cozy place 
when w'e fix it all up. When you grow up to be 
big and strong, perhaps we can go back to the 
green fields and the brown cottage.” Ben felt 
better after she said this, and he told himself he 
W’ould try and grow very fast. 

All this time, poor blind Bill walked slowly 
around the bare kitchen and the two little rooms 
adjoining, and tried to get acquainted with his 
new surroundings, by feeling his way and touch- 
ing everything within reach. 

In a short time Bennie liked his new home bet- 


SNOWBOUND 


55 


ter. His mother obtained employment to sew in 
a large store. Bennie went to school every day, 
and, when he returned, took brother Bill out for 
a walk in the fresh air. 

Everything went along smoothly, until one 
cold morning in early December, Bennie’s mother 
was taken sick and could not go to the big store 
to sew ; and this was only the beginning of a long 
illness, when everything in the little tenement 
was very dreary, and Ben became a neglected, un- 
happy boy. 

Brother Bill seldom went out during this sad 
time. He used to sit by his mother’s bedside. 
He could bring her a drink of water and perform 
little tasks about the house by feeling his way. 

The days crept on, until it was only a week 
before Christmas and it seemed to little Ben, as 
he walked past the gay windows and saw the 
busy crowds of people, that everybody in the 
world was getting ready for the great holiday 
but himself and Bill. 

How his childish gaze rested on a beautiful 
Christmas scene, arranged in one of the shop 
windows ! 


56 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


He used to walk to that store every day and 
feast his eyes on the picture of a great toy Santa 
Claus, behind a Christmas tree, in the act of 
filling a row of stockings that hung from a 
mantel. 

Sometimes he thought how fine it would be if 
he could buy a present for his mother and Bill ; 
but his mother had whispered to him one morn- 
ing, while Bill was asleep. 

“ Bennie, if you tell Bill about all the beauti- 
ful things you see in the stores, he will feel dis- 
appointed. You see we are very poor this 
Christmas, and I’m afraid Santa Claus will not 
come.” 

^‘Does Santa Claus only go to the rich, 
mother? ” the little fellow had asked, wistfully, 
and his mother had sighed and kissed him; and 
Bennie did not ask any more questions, because, 
young as he was, he understood. He was very 
quiet in the house, after this little talk, and never 
told about the marvelous sights he saw every 
day, lest brother Bill should be sorely dis- 
appointed. 

“ There’s only three days more,” said Bennie 


SNOWBOUND 


57 


to himself, one day, as he pressed his face (it 
was thinner now and not so rosy as in former 
days) against the great plate glass window of 
the big store, to study anew the Christmas tree 
and the smiling Santa Claus. Suddenly, at his 
elbow, he heard a happy child’s voice; and he 
turned- to see a lovely little girl with red-gold 
curls. 

“ Oh, mamma,” she cried, “ do see that dear 
little workbox on the Christmas tree. Oh, I want 
one just like it ! ” 

You shall have it, dear, if we can buy it,” 
said the woman at her side ; and they started for 
the door of the shop, leaving Bennie standing in 
his accustomed place, gazing wistfully after 
them. 

“ Oh, if I could only buy a little present for 
Bill, I’d be happy,” thought Bennie. “ It’s 
dreadful to think that Bill won’t have any 
Christmas ! ” But presents were not for a little 
boy who had a sick mother, so Bennie decided, 
and, with one last look at the beautiful Christ- 
mas scene, he trudged homeward. 

That night, however, he asked his mother if 


58 


JIMMIE EVTER 


she couldn’t help him give Bill just a “teeny, 
weeny present, that would only cost a little.” 

His mother called him close to her bedside, 
while Bill was out of the room. 

“ Bennie, dear,” she whispered, “ mother is 
very poor this Christmas. The money that I had 
saved is almost gone. If it will only hold out 
until I am well enough to go back to work, every- 
thing will come out right; but we shall have to 
be very careful and not spend it for anything 
that we do not need. Don’t you see, dear, I can 
not buy even a little present for Bill? Even if 
it were only five cents, dear, don’t you see that 
five cents would buy a loaf of bread.” 

It was very hard for little Benny to realize all 
this, and when he said his prayers that night, he 
w'hispered fervently: 

“ O dear Lord, I do not need any present, but 
please, do please, send a little one to Bill.” 

Bennie did not go dowm to the big stores the 
next day, although he thought about them, and 
talked with his mother about the great toy Santa 
Claus, when Bill was not in the room. 

The following afternoon, he could not keep 


SNOWBOUND 


59 


away any longer, and his little feet hurried over 
the pavements to the great window that dis- 
played his favorite scene. 

Again he pressed his little face against the 
glass and gazed at every detail of the picture. 
He knew by heart everything on the Christ- 
mas tree, from the big sled, resting near its 
base, to the gold star, shining on its topmost 
bough. 

He had been staring such a long time at the 
beautiful things, that he never noticed it was 
getting dark. When he did turn from the win- 
dow and looked about him, he was surprised to 
find the street lamps lighted. 

Bennie decided to take one more look and 
hurry home when, just at that moment, a small 
dog gave a piteous little cry at his feet, and the 
next minute put up two little cold paws. 

“ Hello ! ” said Bennie, stooping to pat the lit- 
tle creature, which, thus caressed, wagged its 
tail and pressed closer to Bennie’s faded 
trousers. 

I must go home,” said Ben, starting to walk 
away, “ and you must go home too.” But the dog 


60 JIMMIE 8UTER 

followed close at his heels and refused to turn 
away. 

Bennie looked around, to see if the owner was 
near, but no one seemed to pay any attention to 
the dog, which stood looking up at Bennie, with 
a dog’s trusting, hopeful expression. 

All at once, Bennie decided that the dog was 
lost or that, perhaps, no one wanted it. It might 
be one of the homeless dogs that appear now and 
then on the streets of the city. The boy’s heart 
bounded at the thought. If no one wanted it, he 
might keep it, and better still, give it to Bill. 
He had heard Bill say one day that he would like 
to have a dog. 

Suddenly a bright thought flashed into Ben- 
nie’s head. He would give the little dog to Bill 
for Christmas. Bill would get a Christmas pres- 
ent after all! 

Bennie walked rapidly, the little creature 
close at his heels. He planned to tell his mother 
that very night ; but he must hide the dog some- 
where, so that Bill would not see it till Christ- 
mas morning. 

As luck would have it, the tenement across the 


SNOWBOUND 61 

hall was vacant, and the rooms were not locked. 
He could keep the dog there safe from view. 

Twice he stopped to pat his new acquaintance, 
and then hurried on faster than ever. 

When he reached the big, dark tenement 
house, the little dog hesitated for the first time. 
Perhaps it was not the sort of place that he ex- 
pected a winsome-faced child like Ben to lead 
him ; be that as it may, his new master gathered 
him tenderly in his arms, and went softly up the 
long, narrow stairs. 

When Bennie reached the third landing, he 
opened the door of the vacant tenement, put the 
dog gently on the fioor of the kitchen, and closed 
the door. 

Then he groped in the dark to his own door, 
and entered with a smiling face. Bill was going 
to have a Christmas present! He was just long- 
ing to tell his mother; but he did not have an 
opportunity till after supper, when Bill was 
busy in the kitchen. 

That night Bennie shared his supper with the 
little dog and later he smuggled over an old 
shawl to put on the cold, bare fioor for a bed. 


62 


JIMMIE SUTER 


When Ben was in his own little bed, he lay 
awake a long time and thought, with joy, that 
the next night was Christmas eve, and Bill 
would be so happy when he got his present. 

In the morning Bennie could hardly wait to 
dress properly, so eager was he to have his 
mother see the dog, before Bill was up. 

Bennie threw on his clothes and hurried 
across the hall, to the vacant rooms. On open- 
ing the door there stood his new acquaintance, 
up and ready, a knowing look on his intelligent 
face, the tail wagging harder than ever. 

Bennie took the dog in his arms, and carried 
him to his mother’s room, and she sat up in bed 
to look at the little creature. 

“ Why, Bennie, dear,” said his mother, this 
isn’t a homeless dog. He has a collar on ; he is 
a very handsome little fellow; and he looks as if 
he had been well cared for.” 

Then Bennie put the dog on the coverlet, and 
his mother patted the small head, while she ex- 
amined the collar. 

She turned it around on his neck, and all at 
once read softly : 


SNOWBOUND 


63 


Felicity Dover, 185 Newbergh Ave.” 

Just then they heard Bill coming, so Bennie 
caught the dog up hastily, and hurried out of 
the room, and across the hall to the vacant 
kitchen. 

He put his little friend on the shawl, and 
gazed with mingled feelings, disappointment 
plainly visible on the small face. 

“ Of course,” Bennie reasoned, “ since the dog 
wore a collar, with his name and address, he be- 
longs to somebody.” His thoughts were inter- 
rupted at this point by his mother’s voice calling 
him, and he hurried back to her bedside. 

“ Bennie,” said his mother, and she caught his 
little hand in her own, “ I am sorry that you 
have been disappointed, but you can not keep the 
little dog. You know it belongs to somebody, 
so you must return it as soon as possible.” 

“ I don’t see why I couldn’t keep him,” whis- 
pered Ben, on the verge of tears. I found him 
and he followed me all the way home.” 

“But, Bennie, suppose you lost your cap on 
the inside of which happened to be your name 
and address. Suppose some little boy found it 


64 


JIMMIE SUTER 


and kept it for himself, what would you think 
of him, would you call him honest? ” 

“ No,’’ replied Ben, shaking his head, but his 
lips trembled and a big tear welled up in each 
blue eye and rolled down the little cheeks as he 
realized that the fine Christmas he had planned 
for Bill was slipping away. 

“ The sooner I take him back, the better, I sup- 
pose,” murmured Bennie ; “ think I’ll start 
now.” 

‘‘ That’s my brave, honest little boy,” said his 
mother, while Ben dashed a few tears away that ' 
would come in spite of himself. 

Bennie ate a little breakfast, took his coat and 
cap and hurried across to the empty room. 

He wrapped the old shawl around the little 
dog and ran down the long flight of stairs to the 
street. 

As he walked rapidly along, he wrapped the 
shawl closer for it was bitterly cold, and his own 
little hands were blue. 

A big policeman directed him to the street, 
and he found himself on a broad avenue, lined 
on both sides with great brown-stone houses, 


SNOWBOUND 65 

that looked exactly alike to Bennie’s wistful 
eyes. 

“ In one of these houses the little dog belongs,” 
thought Ben, as he rubbed one hand to warm it. 

Oh, if it would only turn out that the people 
didn’t want it, then he would have a right to 
keep it and Bill might have a Christmas pres- 
ent ! ” The thought made his face beam with ex- 
pectation ; he quickened his steps, and just then, 
glancing up, met the eyes of a lovely little girl, 
with red-gold curls. She was standing at a great 
wide window, in one of the brownstone houses, 
looking down at' him ; and in a second Bennie re- 
membered that he had seen her before, one day, 
when she had looked at the great Christmas 
scene in the store window. 

But this was the house numbered 185, so Ben- 
nie mounted the long steps, patting the little dog 
as he went. 

Perhaps this will be the last time,” said Ben- 
nie, as he rang the bell, and for an instant he 
buried his cold face in the old shawl, for Bennie 
loved dogs and Felicity was certainly a very 
lovable little creature. 


66 


JIMMIE SUTER 


But before Ben raised his head, the door was 
thrown open, and the little girl with red-gold 
curls stood there, holding out both hands. 

Bennie found himself inside the great house, 
where he deposited dog and shawl on a carpeted 
floor. 

“ Oh, my own Felicity, my dear, sweet, little 
dog, I thought I’d never see you again,” cried 
the little girl, taking the dog in her arms. 

And wasn’t it lovely you found him for me,” 
she said, turning to Bennie. I am so happy 
and so very much obliged. You know it would 
have been dreadfully lonesome if Felicity was not 
home for Christmas. And I’m so glad papa sent 
to all the papers that he was lost and Oh, wasn’t 
it lovely that you found him ! Oh, my dear, dear 
Felicity, I thought I’d never see you again.” 

It was strange how happy little Ben felt, when 
he saw the little girl so pleased. He forgot his 
disappointment and stood fingering his cap, a 
smile on his bright little face. But a tall, sweet- 
faced woman had glided into the hall and had 
noticed the chubby hands, blue with the cold, 
and had invited Bennie into a beautiful room, 


SNOWBOUND 


67 


before an open fire. And she had questioned him 
about the finding of the dog, whereupon Ben had 
told her the whole story. 

There was something very sweet and winning 
in the woman’s smile. It seemed at times to Ben- 
nie that he was talking to his own dear mother, 
he felt so much at ease in her presence. 

Little by little she drew out the story of Bill 
and the sick mother in the little room at home. 

She even wanted to hear about the brown cot- 
tage in the country; and Bennie told her every- 
thing he could remember, even to the two tame 
squirrels. 

When he had quite finished, she stooped and 
kissed his sunny face. 

Bennie,” she whispered, “ I am so glad we 
have become acquainted.” 

They talked again for several minutes before 
she said good-by, and Bennie left the great 
house, with all the interesting and beautiful 
things. 

He was so full of his visit that he ran all the 
way home to tell his mother. Indeed he ran so 
very fast he stumbled and fell over a great bunch 


68 


JIMMIE EUTER 


of evergreens outside a meat store, and a couple 
of lads about his own age laughed loudly at him. 
One of them threw a big walnut after him and 
shouted, Say, there’s a big hole in your stock- 
ing, better not hang that one up to-night.” 

Bennie hurried along without a reply. When 
his mother was well, he never had holes in his 
stockings. It did not trouble him at all to have 
holes there, but it was dreadful to think that he 
could not hang up his stocking that Christmas 
eve. 

When he reached home and told his mother all 
the events of the morning, she said, “ And aren’t 
you glad, dear, that you made that little girl so 
happy,” and Bennie admitted that he was. 

In the early afternoon he took one more trip 
to the big stores for a last look at the Christmas 
scenes, and returned home at dusk. 

As he approached the big tenement house, he 
saw a closed carriage standing outside, drawn 
by two horses, and a man in livery was walking 
up and down. 

Bennie climbed the stairs quickly and when 
he opened the door what a surprise he had. 


SNOWBOUND 69 

At his mother’s bedside stood the sweet-faced 
woman, and the litle girl with red-gold curls. 
There were some beautiful flowers on a table and 
bundles and boxes on the floor. 

Brother Bill was there too and a young girl in 
a spotless white cap and apron was making a 
Are in the kitchen stove. 

The visitors were just taking leave, as Bennie 
entered, and the little girl whispered, “ Be sure 
and hang up your stockings to-night, Bennie, be- 
cause mamma says Santa is surely coming.” 

Oh, what a splendid Christmas that was! I 
could not begin to tell you all the good things 
Bennie found the next morning. There were 
warm mittens and new clothes. There was a 
sled and a rocking-horse and a magniflcent pic- 
ture-book aglow with giants and fairies. There 
were fine games for brother Bill’s deft fingers. 
Nuts and candies and oranges and all sorts of 
goodies were there in abundance, and best of all 
there was mother, smiling and happy, and a 
cheerful young woman, in spotless cap and 
apron, to nurse her back to health, for there were 
promises of plenty of sewing to do, at home, 


70 


JIMMIE EUTER 


when she was strong again. And Bill! poor, 
blind Bill was going to a splendid school, where 
he would learn many things that would help to 
make him a happy, useful man. 

Oh, Blind Bill’s Christmas was good after all. 
It was a great, glorious, never-to-be-forgotten 
one! 


CHAPTER VI 

COMPOSITION DAY 

At the beginning of the fourth day Jimmie was 
rather tired of the house and he longed to get 
out and go to school again; it was the week be- 
fore Christmas too, and Rand Cotter might come 
any day to Sunnyview. 

Shortly after breakfast Jimmie was surprised 
to see Mr. Marron drive up and stop his big 
sleigh at the door. 

More work for me,” thought Jimmie, but the 
milkman said he had just called on his way to 
town to give Jimmie a ride to school. 

Our hero was delighted. He drew on his over- 
shoes, pulled his cap over his ears, turned up his 
coat collar, and was ready in a very short time. 

His mother placed his lunch box in his hand, as 
he jumped into the sleigh, and off they started 
down the long country road, white with snow. 
When Jimmie reached the schoolhouse, he saw 
Tl 


72 


JIMMIE SUTER 


there only Hank Allen. Miss Drew told the boys 
they could go to the blackboard and draw what- 
ever they pleased, which was a rare treat for 
them. Jimmie liked nothing better than a black- 
board and chalk all to himself. 

A little later several other pupils arrived, and 
in a short time the entire class was present ; but 
it was after ten o’clock before the regular les- 
sons were begun, and then Miss Drew started 
out in a rather unusual way. 

“ Christmas is almost here,” said the teacher, 
know you are all looking forward to it and 
the pleasant times it will bring. Next Friday, 
as you know, school closes for ten days, which 
means a nice long vacation for you. 

“ This morning,” she added, “ I am going to 
give you paper and you are to write a composi- 
tion on Christmas. You may have one hour to 
do it, and I am sure that every boy and girl will 
do his and her best. Oh, please do not look so 
crestfallen,” she added with a twinkle in her blue 
eyes ; Jimmie Suter looks as if I had just asked 
him to write a warrant for his arrest, and Johnny 
Moor seems frightened to death.” 


COMPOSITIO^t^ DAY 


73 


For a second all eyes were turned on Jimmie, 
who felt his cheeks burn; but the papers were 
distributed and some of the pupils had soon 
begun their task. 

There were two things Jimmie hated to do. 
One was to speak a piece, the other, to write a 
composition. He started out bravely, however, 
by writing the word “ Christmas in the middle 
of the first line. Then he stared at it till every 
little curve and twist in the letters stood out like 
separate designs. He turned his paper sideways 
and viewed it from different angles but it looked 
just the same “ Christmas,” with never a bit 
of inspiration in its wooden, unwelcome attitude, 
as a subject for a composition. He skipped two 
lines from his subject, as he had been taught to 
do, and placed a dot at the right margin to begin ; 
and once more he studied the capital “ C ” and 
all the letters. 

Glancing up at the clock he saw that twenty 
minutes had elapsed. Goodness! What could 
he do; he had to write something. He grasped 
his pencil in sheer desperation and began to 
write. At that moment a happy thought came 


74 


JIMMIE EVTER 


to him to tell about the rocking-horse he had 
made for his little brother for a Christmas 
present. 

At the end of an hour the teacher told the 
pupils to finish the sentence they had begun and 
be ready to read if called upon. 

Susie Hibbard, the first one called upon, arose, 
and with a few preliminary twists and simpers 
read the following: 

“ Christmas only comes but onct a year, when 
folks eats turkey and all their relations gets 
taken in and squash and things. My father 
went off and shot a wild goose and my mother 
roasted him. 

“ I like Christmas cause there are presents and 
lots of good things to eat and last Christmas 
Aunt Maria gave a doll and red flannel and a 
bank and one shirt and a box trimmed with lace. 
I saved fifteen cents and bought pa a meresham 
for ten and ma a cake of soap that smelt it was 
pink and five cents.’^ 

Susie took her seat, while admiring glances 
were directed tow^ard one whose facile pen could 
thus describe the joys of Christmas. 


COMPOmTION DAY 


75 


Miss Drew had called upon Susie, hoping to 
hear one of the best compositions, for Susie be 
it known, had a glib tongue and was a promising 
pupil in the language lessons. 

When Susie had finished, the teacher, whose 
motto was always to praise, rather than blame, 
told Susie there were some excellent points in her 
composition and they would correct the mistakes 
another time. 

When Miss Drew said, “ Henry Allen may 
read what he has written,” there was a shuffle of 
upper and lower limbs, of which Hank always 
seemed to possess a larger supply than anybody 
else. 

They were certainly longer than anybody 
else’s and as Hank’s desk was none too large, the 
poor fellow had to use considerable ingenuity 
in getting his long body out. 

When he finally squirmed himself free and 
straightened out his long legs, he gave a short 
cough and began. 

Christmas is the day Christ the Lord was 
born, we sing hims and rejoice. Glory to ex- 
celsior. We had a Christmas tree. It caught 


76 


JIMMIE SUTER 


on fire by night and burnt a spot on the rug and 
the parlor curtain. We all ran with pans of 
water and squashed it. Pa got money from the 
fire insurance to buy a new rug and a parlor cur- 
tains, but ma turned over the rug and darn the 
curtain. In a stable in Bethlam.” 

Hank, as you perceive, was slightly mixed, but 
he meant well. 

Little Tommy Burns was called upon next. 
He read the following: 

Christmas, the night before, we hang up a 
stocking behind the stove. I get a orange and 
candy, a horn of plenty and some others. Last 
Christmas ma hung up her stocking and got 
Daniel Webster, with no hair on his head. He 
was deef and dumb cause he had no teeth and 
only weighed six pounds. Now he is most a year 
an’ lafs when I tickle him.” 

“ Now, Johnny Moor, what have you writ- 
ten?” 

“Northin,” said Johnny, while a suppressed 
giggle swept over the room. 

“Oh, Johnny, please do not say ^northin.’ 
If you haven’t written a single word on your 


COMPOSITION DAY 77 

paper just tell me so ; say ‘ I haven’t written 
anything.’ Is that true, Johnny?” 

“ I only wrote one line,” said Johnny, reluc- 
tantly. 

“ Well, stand and read your line.” 

At which request, Johnny arose and, squinting 
hard at the paper, as if he could not decipher 
his own penmanship (and indeed it was no easy 
task), read with several pauses: 

“ On — Christmas — folks swap.” 

When Johnny dropped into his seat. Miss Drew 
wondered to herself just how far Johnny might 
get, say in the course of twenty-four hours, at the 
rate of four words an hour ; but being something 
of a philosopher, she came to the conclusion that 
as Christmas comes but once a year, it was a long 
time between “swaps” to Johnny. 

Jimmie Suter’s composition was very short, 
describing the rocking-horse he had made for 
Tod. 

When he had read it, Miss Drew collected the 
compositions to use in preparing future language 
lessons. 

When Jimmie, on his way home from school 


78 


JIMMIE EUTER 


that day, came within sight of the big white 
house, his heart gave a bound. 

“ The folks are there ! Band has come at last,” 
thought our hero, quickening his steps until he 
was going as fast as his sturdy legs could take 
him. 

He rushed into the cottage with a dozen ques- 
tions on his lips ; but when once inside, he stood 
at the door, his face aglow with smiles of wel- 
come, for there on the floor, playing “blocks” 
with Tod and the baby, sat Rand Cotter, as much 
at home as if he had been living there for 
weeks. 

“ Hello, Jimmie!”- said Rand, looking up with 
a grin ; “ I’ve been waiting all the afternoon for 
you.” 

“ I’ve been waiting three weeks for you,” 
laughed Jimmie, whereupon the talk began be- 
tween the two boys and lasted fully an hour. 

In the course of the conversation Jimmie told 
Rand all about the plan to build the ice-boat, 
including his failure to buy the flat-bottom boat 
from Ben Ridgeway. 

“ Ice-boats ! ” cried Rand. “ I have a book that 


COMPOSITIO^t^ DAY 79 

tells all about them. There are some fine pic- 
tures of ice-boats in it too!” 

“ I’d like to see it,” said Jimmie. 

“I’ll get it and we’ll look it over together. 
Oh, Jimmie, wouldn’t it be just fine if you could 
make one ! ” 

“ I think I could. I have the plan in my head, 
but perhaps if I saw your book I might get some 
new ideas.” 

The following morning Rand brought over the 
book containing the pictures and descriptions 
of ice-boats; but Jimmie did not have any time 
to study it till that evening after supper. 

When he did see those pictures, he changed 
his mind about building one from the flat-bottom 
boat. A new and better plan suggested itself, 
and Jimmie was full of enthusiasm over it. He 
made up his mind to start it the very next day, 
but the last days of school, when everybody 
seemed to be getting ready for Christmas, were 
very busy ones for Jimmie. 

Rand Cotter had gone to the city with his 
father and Jimmie did not see him for two days. 

Although too busy to do anything about his 


80 


JIMMIE EXJTER 


scheme, Jimmie comforted himself with the 
thought that even if he had the ice-boat com- 
pleted there would not be any chance to use it, 
as the marsh brook was buried deep in snow. 

The last afternoon in school, the boys and 
girls had a merry time. 

At Miss Drew’s suggestion they had brought 
their toys and games, which made a great deal 
of sport, “ swapping ” for the afternoon. With 
plenty of Christmas candy, some games and a 
story, the time went quickly, and at the end Miss 
Drew told all the boys and girls in the little 
schoolhouse that she hoped they would have a 
splendid time during the holidays. 

“ At Christmas, everybody in the world ought 
to be happy,” she said, “and I want my boys 
and girls to make all the happiness for all the 
people they possibly can. 

“Why, you’ve no idea how contagious happi- 
ness is,” she went on, and laughed so merrily at 
this quaint remark that the boys and girls 
laughed too, though they didn’t know why. 

“ I am sure,” said Miss Drew, “ if my boys 
and girls made up their minds to ^ catch ’ happi- 


COMPOSITION^ DAY 


81 


ness, instead of the measles, and went about with 
smiling faces, pleasant voices and willing hands ; 
if they thought happy thoughts and did happy 
things for others, I am very sure there would be 
so many ‘ cases ’ of happiness right here in Sun- 
nyview, that it would spread all over Boston, and 
not stop there but keep on and on — indeed you 
never could tell where it would stop — if it ever 
did stop,” Miss Drew declared. 

“ Now see if there isn’t somebody you want to 
have ‘ catch ’ happiness and then make up your 
minds he is going to ‘ catch ’ it from you,” she 
concluded. 

And this was their teacher’s way of wishing 
them a happy Christmas. 


CHAPTER VII 

CHRISTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 

In the big white house on Christmas Eve, there 
were evidences on all sides of Christmas. The 
rooms were aglow with warmth and cheer. 
Lights shone from many windows, and the music 
of laughter reached the ears of an old man, who 
approached the house, with a basket on his arm, 
wondering what it all meant. 

Poor old Ben Ridgeway! He had lived so 
long alone in his cheerless home, with no sound 
save the noise and cackle of poultry, that he had 
forgotten about the pleasant home life, where 
there are childish voices, happy laughter, and the 
pattering of busy feet. And more than all he 
had forgotten that Christmas was the season of 
all seasons, that belongs to the little ones. Ben 
only knew that at Christmas he received a higher 
price for eggs than at any other time. This 
thought came to him as he shuffled along, and a 


CHRWTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 83 


grim smile played over the thin lips, as he looked 
down at the basket on his arm, filled with eggs 
that had been ordered for the big white house. 

But while still thinking of the money, the eggs 
would bring, he stumbled and fell forward. The 
eggs rattled a little but he grasped the handle of 
the basket firmly, and at the same instant a door 
was opened ; he heard a boyish voice say, “ Good- 
night, Rand,” and Jimmie Suter suddenly ap- 
peared. 

He approached the dark object in the path 
before him and, in the moonlight, recognized 
Ben Ridgeway. 

“ Are you hurt? ” asked the boy, as Ben tried 
to rise, still holding fast to the basket. 

“ No, but I’m afraid some o’ my eggs got 
broken,” said Ben, struggling to regain his feet. 

“ Let me help you,” said Jimmie, taking the 
basket and placing it aside. Then by putting 
one hand on the old man’s shoulder, and the 
other around his waist, Jimmie succeeded in 
helping Ben to arise. 

“The eggs! Are they broken?” asked Ben, 
looking at Jimmie in a helpless sort of way. 


84 


JIMMIE EVTER 


Jimmie sank to his knees, removed the cover 
from the basket and peered at the contents. 

“ Those on top seem to be all right. There 
may be a few on the bottom broken,” said the 
boy. 

“ Why not come into my house and see for your- 
self,” said Jimmie, when he saw the old man’s 
anxiety. 

“ I believe I will,” said Ben, with some hesita- 
tion. “ I’d like to look them over ’fore I take 
them to the Cotter house.” 

He followed Jimmie slowly, and when inside 
the cottage, he deposited the basket on the table 
and told of his mishap. 

John Suter and his wife helped Ben take out 
each egg carefully, when they found only 
four had been broken, but he seemed to feel 
so bad over the loss that Jimmie’s father said: 
“Maybe we could give you three or four; I’ll 
see.” 

“We’ve been short of eggs for some time,” 
said Mrs. Suter. “ The hens are not laying very 
well.” 

Presently her husband appeared with four 


CHRISTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 85 


eggs, which he handed to Ben, saying he was glad 
he could spare them. 

For an instant Ben’s face brightened when he 
saw them; then it assumed a most doleful ex- 
pression, and he said quickly : 

“ It’s terrible hard times, neighbor ; how much 
are you askin’ for ’em? ” 

“ Oh, take them and welcome,” was the answer. 

“Well, thank yer, neighbor, thank yer;” and 
Ben, with surprising agility, gathered up the 
eggs and hurried out of the cottage. 

When the door was shut on the old man, Jim- 
mie started to make a few preparations for the 
morning. 

He placed the homemade rocking-horse and 
whip in a prominent place, where Tod’s eyes 
would light on them the first thing. Then he 
did several chores for his mother and went to 
bed. 

“ Merry Christmas, mother ! ” cried Jimmie, 
the next morning, coming into the kitchen. He 
was followed closely by Tod, open-mouthed, in 
expectation. 

“ ’Erry Tithmas ! ” echoed Tod, and then, spy- 


86 JIMMIE 8UTER 

ing the rocking-horse, he gave a yell at the top 
of his voice. 

‘‘ Thee me, thee me,’’ lisped Tod, mounting the 
fiery steed, while Jimmie and his mother smiled 
approval at Tod’s reckless riding. But the 
stockings were hanging from the mantel, and 
suggested all sorts of goodies. 

On the table in the sitting-room, Jim found 
new mittens from his mother, and a fine pair of 
rubber boots that reached almost to the waist, 
from his father. 

Jimmie produced a workbox that he had pur- 
chased for his mother, and a spotted silk hand- 
kerchief for his father. Nor was the baby for- 
gotten, for Santa Claus had placed a doll that 
just filled one of baby’s stockings. 

“ Rand Cotter invited Tod and me over to see 
his Christmas tree this afternoon,” said Jimmie, 
when the happy group sat down to breakfasjb. 

He’s going to have a party from three until 
five.” 

“ I’m goin’, I’m goin’ ! ” cried Tod ; “ my rock- 
ing-horth ’ll go, too.” 

There’s going to be ice cream, I know that 


CHRISTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 87 


for certain,” cried Jimmie, making a joyful grim- 
ace at little Tod. 

“ Ith cream ! ” shouted Tod, bringing his little 
fist down on the table with so much force that he 
lost his balance and would have fallen over, if 
Jimmie had not jumped and caught him just in 
time. 

I hope Tod will hold together till this after- 
noon,” laughed his mother, whereupon, to every- 
body’s amusement. Tod assured her that he would 
not “break.” 

“ I wonder if Ben Kidgeway reached the house 
safely with his eggs,” said Mrs. Suter, in the 
course of the meal. 

“ He’s probably counted his money ten times 
since,” returned her husband. 

“ Well, it must be a lonesome holiday for the 
poor man, up there all alone in that dreary place, 
when folks are sitting down with all hands home 
for Christmas.” 

“ Why couldn’t we invite him down here to 
dinner? ” asked Jimmie, all of a sudden. 

His father and mother exchanged glances, but 
the former said quickly : 


88 


JIMMIE SUTER 


“ He’d never come. I don’t suppose Ben has 
been outside that shanty for Christmas in twenty 
years.” 

“ Perhaps no one ever asked him, father ; per- 
haps he’d like to come.” 

“ Well, Jimmie, it’s a Christmas thought, and 
the poor old fellow is welcome, if he’ll come, so 
after breakfast, if you’ve a mind, take a run up 
there and bring him back with you.” 

Mrs. Suter smiled approval at her husband’s 
words, but Jimmie said : “ I guess, I never would 
have thought of Ben, if Miss Drew had not told 
us to spread happiness, and it made me think of 
things.” 

Our hero was very eager to talk with Band 
Cotter about the ice-boat, but he was obliged to 
postpone that interesting conversation till an- 
other time, and after breakfast started for Ben 
Kidgeway’s. 

It was ideal Christmas weather : the air wintry 
sharp, the ground snow-covered, the trees glis- 
tening as the winter sun shone on them. 

The last time Jimmie had taken that walk, a 
friendly squirrel had darted across his path and 


CHRISTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 89 


a busy blue-jay had piped to him from a clump 
of bushes on the roadside ; but to-day he saw no 
evidences of life until within sight of the lake, 
when a great flock of crows flew over his head. 

Jimmie began to w^histle as he approached 
Ben’s shanty, and warbled his best until he 
reached the door and knocked. As no one an- 
swered Jimmie knocked again and again. He 
was just beginning to think that Ben was not at 
home when he heard his voice, telling him to 
come in. 

The old man was lying on a lounge in the 
kitchen, and looked pale and ill. 

“I s’pose you came for the money for the 
eggs,” said Ben, slowly. 

“What eggs do you mean? ” asked Jimmie in 
surprised tones. 

“ Why those four eggs yer father give me last 
night,” was the peevish answer. 

Jim’s face flushed, but he said with a smile: 
“ Oh, no ! father didn’t mean to sell you those 
eggs. I came to ask you down to the house to 
dinner to-day. Father and mother would like 
to have you come.” 


90 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


What’s that? ” questioned Ben, raising him- 
self on his elbow, and eyeing Jimmie narrowly. 

“ Father told me to come up here and ask you 
to dinner to-day. It’s Christmas, you know. 
You’d better come,” added Jimmie with a smile; 

we’re going to have turkey and plum pudding.” 

Ben Kidgeway sank back again on the lounge 
without a word. 

Suddenly he raised himself again: Could 
you make tea, Jimmie? ” 

“ I’ll try, sir. Do you want me to make some 
for you? ” 

Ben nodded and pointed to a narrow closet. 

You’ll find it there, I guess.” 

Jimmie Suter had never made tea in his life. 
In fact he had not tasted it many times, but he 
had seen his mother put a good pinch in the pot 
and then pour boiling water on it. He also re- 
membered that one day she had left the room a 
minute and the tea boiled, whereupon his mother 
remarked that the tea was spoiled. 

If making tea was just pouring hot water on 
the leaves, Jimmie decided he could do that, and 
it suddenly occurred to him that Ben was not 


CHRISTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 91 


feeling as well as usual and he had better get 
him something else to eat. 

He found some bread, and as there was a good 
red fire in the stove, he toasted a couple of 
slices. 

When all was ready, the old man sat up, and 
Jimmie brought him a cup of tea and the toast 
on a small plate. 

“ That’s good tea, Jimmie,” said the man ; I 
was feelin’ pretty mean this morning. Guess that 
fall last night shook me up a bit ; but I’m better, 
an’ I thank yer, Jimmie, an’ I thank yer father 
and mother, but tell ’em I’m not much on visitin’ 
an’ I guess I w^on’t go to-day.” 

“ Perhaps it would do you good to get out,” 
ventured Jimmie, not knowing just what to say 
under the circumstances; “you might feel better 
if you came.” 

The old man shook his head. “ I’m obliged to 
you, I’m obliged to you all, Jimmie, but I rather, 
think I better not go to-day.” 

There was nothing more to be said, so Jimmie 
took his leave, disappointed that he had not suc% 
ceeded. 


92 


JIMMIE SUTER 


On the way he met Rand Cotter starting out 
for a sleigh ride with his father. 

Jimmie was invited to ride home and Rand 
began to ask a string of questions about the ice- 
boat. 

“ I am going to start on it to-morrow morning 
right after breakfast,” said Jimmie; “I’m sure 
I can finish it in a day, and as we have ten days 
vacation, we may get a chance to use it before I 
go back.” 

“ I hope we’ll have a rain storm that will just 
fiood the marsh brook,” cried Rand ; “ and then 
a good cold night — hurray ! ” 

In the afternoon, Jimmie and Tod, dressed in 
their Sunday clothes, started for the big house 
to see Rand’s Christmas tree. 

It was a merry party that Christmas after- 
noon. 

Just picture to yourself the most beautiful 
tree you can imagine; then make it still more 
beautiful, a little larger than any you ever saw ; 
fill it with everything that goes to make a Christ- 
mas tree truly magnificent, and you might have 
a faint idea of Rand Cotter’s tree. 


CHRISTMAS AT SUNNYVIEW 93 


On one of the lower branches was a fine pair 
of skates marked “ for Jimmie,” and a new drum 
for ‘‘ Captain Tod,” that brought forth a yell of 
joy from the proud possessor. Nobody w^as for- 
gotten, and there were games and toys and heaps 
of goodies. 

It was certainly a merry Christmas, and the 
joyful remembrance of it was carried through 
life by Jimmie Suter. 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE “ice-comet’’ 

“ Are you going to start that ice-boat to-day? ” 
asked Rand Cotter, appearing at the cottage 
shortly after breakfast the following morning. 

“ I’m ready now,” said Jimmie, gathering up 
his tools and starting for the barn, where there 
would be ample room ; and all the material, with 
few exceptions, seemed to be at hand. 

“ I did not know you had the boards,” said 
Rand when they were inside, whereupon Jimmie 
laughed and told him, he had had those for nearly 
a week. 

The first thing the boys did was to build the 
platform, a triangle about eight feet long on 
the sides and six feet at the broad end. It was 
formed of three planks bolted firmly together 
with wagon bolts of which a number had been 
found in the barn. 

The center of the platform was made of odds 

9^ 


THE ICE-COMET 


95 


and ends of thin boards, just wide enough to 
make a place to sit, as there could not be much 
moving around in an ice-boat. 

Across the broad end or the front of the boat, 
another plank was bolted, but extended beyond 
the sides a few feet to attach the runners. 

At this point the boys met their first obstacle 
in the building. It was easy enough to fashion 
the w^ooden runners something like the sides of a 
sled, but how to “ shoe ” them with iron was a 
problem that made them stop and think awhile. 

They talked it over and wandered about the 
barn to see if they could find anything to suit 
their purpose. 

At first they were not successful but later 
Jimmie happened to look toward the open cellar 
of the barn, and spied a portion of an old farm 
cart. 

‘^I’ve got it,” he cried; ^^this old cart is the 
■ very thing ! ” and he pointed to some iron stays 
or braces about a quarter of an inch square that 
formerly held the sides of the cart in place. 

“ These will do first-rate for the runners,” said 
the boat builder. 


96 


JIMMIE SUTER 


It did not take long to detach them from the 
cart, and carry them to Mrs. Suter’s kitchen. 

Can we use the stove for a few minutes, 
mother? ” asked the busy boy. 

“ Have you turned blacksmith as well as car- 
penter? ” she answered, with a smile, lifting the 
covers, so that Jimmie could thrust the ends into 
the red coals. 

“ Oh, we’re blacksmiths, carpenters, shipbuild- 
ers — anything in that line,” laughed Rand, 
watching the iron getting red-hot. 

The irons were then taken outside and by 
means of a monkey-wrench and a few blows of 
the hammer they were flattened and turned up 
at the end, at the same time twisted so that the 
edges would run on the ice. Jimmie sharpened 
them with a file. They were then fitted to the 
wooden runners by means of two good-sized 
screws in each iron. 

It took quite a while to do this part of the 
work, as there had to be considerable going to 
and from the stove. 

After dinner they continued their labor and 
worked until they encountered the hardest part 


THE ICE-COMET 


97 


of the whole thing, which was the fitting of the 
rear runner at the point of the triangular plat- 
form and which was to be used also as the rudder. 

It grew dark before they had settled a point or 
two to their satisfaction, and the building of the 
ice-boat had to be stopped until another day. 

That evening Jimmie studied the magazine 
which told about ice-boats and exchanged ideas 
with Rand about a plan that he hit upon. 

In the morning, directly after breakfast, Jim- 
mie hastened to the barn to carry out his new 
idea. 

He fashioned a runner and fitted it somewhat 
on the principle of a kingbolt’^ on the front 
axle of a wagon. In fact the kingbolt of the old 
cart was used and when attached to the runners 
and slipped through a hole in the planks at the 
point of the platform, was all ready for the 
tiller to be attached. 

Rand found an old ax handle and after Jim- 
mie had bolted some pieces of hard wood to one 
end, to make it strong and wide enough to attach 
the bolt, the lower part of the ice-boat was fin- 
ished. 


98 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


The next thing to work upon was the mast 
and sail, and as neither one of the boys had had 
any experience in sailing a boat, they sat down 
for a while and talked the matter over. 

They were lucky in finding a fine spruce pole 
that had been used at one time as a temporary 
flag pole. It was about fifteen feet long and ac- 
cording to Jimmie, “ just the thing.” 

It was a comparatively easy matter to set up 
or “ step ” the mast ; then the sail and a few 
ropes were all that were needed to complete the 
work. 

Rand Cotter had intended to buy cloth enough 
to make the sail, but Jimmie thought it would 
take altogether too much time to wait until a 
trip to the store was made. He felt sure that 
something could be found that would answer the 
purpose and there would be no need of spending 
any money on their homemade boat. 

Once more the barn was searched and with 
good results, for Rand succeeded in digging out 
some old linen horse covers, hidden away in a 
corner of the harness room. 

“ Isn’t this a find, Jimmie? We’ll sew them 


THE ICE-COMET 99 

together and make a bully sail ; ” and his partner 
agreed that they were ‘‘ fine.” 

It was rather cold in the barn when it came 
to sewing there, so, at Jimmie’s suggestion they 
went into the cottage. 

A plan for the sail was then drafted ; the mag- 
azine article on ice-boats was consulted again, 
and the boys started in to sew, having decided 
that a fair-sized sprit sail was the best kind. 

The sail was almost square with a small pole 
or sprit attached at the lower corner, near the 
mast by inserting the end in an eye or hole made 
by knotting a small piece of cord. It was laid 
across the sail and was attached at the upper 
corner by means of a similar eye tied to the sail. 

A small rope tied to the lower outside corner 
served as a sheet, and a small cleat or block of 
wood to which it was secured, was screwed to the 
frame of the ice-boat. 

The boys stood off in the barn and viewed the 
result of their labors, for the ice-boat was now 
all ready to sail when the conditions regarding 
ice, etc., were favorable. 

How do you like it? ” asked Jimmie, survey- 

tOfc. 


100 JIMMIE 8UTER 

ing the boat with all the pride of a skilled 
mechanic. 

She’s a beauty,” said Rand. “ Oh, if we 
could only try it to-day ! If it doesn’t rain soon 
I’ll flood the marsh brook some way,” he added 
with a smile. 

I hope she’ll go fast,” said Jimmie, study- 
ing the lower part of the sail attachment. “ Per- 
haps I ought to say I hope she’ll go. Now 
wouldn’t it be a joke if we’d planned the wrong 
proportions and she wouldn’t move.” 

“ Oh, she’ll go,” asserted Rand calmly. I 
bet that ice-boat will just shoot over the ice. 
We’ll name it the ^Shooting Star^ or the ‘Ice- 
Comet/ or something fanciful like that.” 

“ The Ice-Comet sounds great,” laughed Jim- 
mie ; “ we’ll have to paint that name on her, 
some place.” 


CHAPTER IX 


THE “ S. F. B.” 

Two whole days had passed with no prospect of 
an opportunity to test the ice-boat. 

On the third morning after its completion, the 
boys looked it over in the barn, and afterward 
their footsteps wandered, almost unconsciously 
to the marsh brook, though they knew it was 
covered with snow. 

They had not gone far, when they stopped 
suddenly to look at something lying in the snow 
at their feet. 

It was only three little dead birds huddled 
together, but Jimmie picked them up in his 
hand and examined them. 

“ Poor things,” he murmured ; “ it is easy to 
see they died from hunger. I tell you it’s pretty 
hard on the birds when the ground is covered 
with snow. They make a hard fight for existence 
in the winter.” 

It seems too bad to have the birds die like 


101 


102 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


that,” returned his companion; “we could all 
spare enough to help out the brave little fellows. 
If everybody did a little, just a little, why I be- 
lieve it would save hundreds of them every 
winter — now wouldn’t it? ” 

“ Yes, it surely would. I have an idea ! ” cried 
Jimmie with sudden enthusiasm ; “ suppose you 
and I start a movement to feed the birds and have 
a regular system about it. We’ll establish feed- 
ing posts here and there and make it our business 
to get food to those places.” 

“ Good enough ! Great scheme ! ” Eand broke 
in. “We won’t confine it to Sunnyview, either; 
let’s see if we can’t get the boys in the near-by 
towns interested.” 

“ I’ll tell you what we could do, Rand ; put a 
notice in the Suburban News, that’s our biggest 
paper you know, asking the boys in Meadowtown, 
North wood and Belleview to join the movement. 
Perhaps they’d give us a column in the paper to 
exchange opinions and tell about our work. We’d 
make Sunnyview the headquarters and Rand 
Cotter the president. How does that strike you 
for a scheme? ” 


THE ‘‘H F. 


103 


It’s a bully old scheme, Jimmie, and I’m 
going to speak to my father about it ; but I think 
you ought to be the president, because it was 
your idea, besides you live at Sunnyview all the 
year round.” 

“Yes, that’s true. Still, I think it would be 
all the better to have a city president. Boston is 
the Hub, you know. You might start the city 
boys in this, too. President Cotter of the S. P. 
B. (the Society for the Feeding of Birds), 
doesn’t that sound big? ” and Jimmie threw up 
his cap, he was so pleased, while Band beamed 
over this new honor that Jimmie was thrusting 
upon him. 

That night when Band told his father about 
the new society, Mr. Cotter was much interested 
and made several suggestions in regard to carry- 
ing out the movement to bring the best results. 

He thought it w^ould be a good plan for the 
members to wear badges and as he was going to 
the city the following day, he said he would have 
some made. 

It was further agreed that the president of 
the S. F. B. ought to introduce the matter at 


104 


JIMMIE SUTER 


once. With Mr. Cotter’s help the next issue of 
the Eiihurhan News contained the following 
notice in large type: 

“BOYS, ATTENTION! 

“ It is a fact that every winter many of our 
birds die from starvation. If everybody helped to 
feed them this could be avoided. Are you willing 
to give your mite to save them? If you love 
these useful little creatures that God made for 
our delight, join the ‘ S. F. B.’ at once. Send 
your name and address to 

Band Cotter, President, 

Sunnyview, 

and receive a badge and list of instructions.” 

This was the beginning of a very important 
movement. In the course of a few days Rand 
received many letters, which he and Jimmie 
answered at once, enclosing badges and instruc- 
tions. 

These included a suggestion that one boy in 
every neighborhood be appointed captain; that 
he try and interest the other boys in the move- 


THE E. F. 


105 


ment and look after the interests of the birds; 
that a number of “ feeding posts ” at reasonable 
distances apart be established and visited by him 
from time to time ; that he keep a list of all under 
his personal supervision and send a weekly ac- 
count of the work accomplished to the presi- 
dent. 

Among the letters which the boys received was 
one that interested them very much and they 
both thought they would like to meet the writer. 
It read as follows : 

Eand Cotter, President of the S. F. B. 

Dear Mr. President : 

“ I live on the edge of CrowelPs Woods, and 
have been feeding the birds for the past six 
winters. Some of them now are quite tame and 
fly on my shoulder and pick crumbs from my 
hand. I always shovel a little place to feed 
them and tie pieces of suet and sometimes raw 
meat to the trees, where they can get at them 
easily. 

“One day, about three years ago, a blue-jay 
came to my window and tapped it with his beak 


106 


JIMMIE EUTER 


as plainly as if he were calling me. I went to 
the door, and on the steps was a starved, half 
perished little bird. I threw my cap over it and 
caught it, but this did not please the blue-jay 
at all. He perched himself on our grape-vine, 
opposite the kitchen door, and scolded me 
roundly. 

“ I fixed up a cage for my new friend and 
adopted him into the family. 

“ We called him Captain Crumb, and, although 
he seemed terribly crestfallen at first, in a few 
days he began to look spunky. He used to cock 
his head on one side as if he were ‘sizing 
me up.^ 

“ Pa says I must have made a good impression, 
because we became great friends. 

“Well, to make a long story short. Captain 
Crumb stays with us all winter ever since, but 
just as soon as pleasant weather comes he takes 
up his quarters out of doors. Sometimes we see 
him every day, then perhaps not for a week or 
two. Mother says he is visiting relatives then — 
probably telling them how it seems to be in so- 
ciety all winter. 


THE ^^8. F. B/’ 


107 


“ I am going to visit a family that live about 
three miles from here and ask them to join your 
movement. 

There is a boy about twelve years old — I shall 
ask him to get some other boys in this. You 
can send him a badge if they agree. Send my 

badge « Philip Moon, 

Woodside Road, 

“ North wood.” 


“ We must surely ask Philip Moon to be a cap- 
tain,” said Rand ; and he can appoint others. 
Some day we’ll invite the captains over here and 
have a jolly good time!” 

One of the interesting features of the S. F. B. 
w’as the short column devoted exclusively to it in 
the Suburban News. The editor had been kind 
enough to give space in his valuable paper to 
help on the good work. In this way everybody 
could read about it. The society increased in 
numbers and a splendid work was begun in real 
earnest. 

One morning Rand received the following 
letter, which caused a broad smile on the faces 


108 


JIMMIE SUTER 


of the president of the S. F. B. and his friend, 
Jimmie Suter: 

“ To THE President of the S. F. B. 

Mr. Band Cotter : Are you a man or just a 
mere boy, because if you are I think it real mean 
of you not to ask girls as well as boys to join the 
S. F. B. I am sure girls are ever so much nicer 
to birds than boys. They never steal birds’ nests 
for one thing. My name is Bessie Seabry. I 
live at Southbridge and I am ten years old, going 
on eleven. I enclose a poem on birds that I wrote 
last night. Please answer at once and let me 
know if I can belong to your society; and send 
me a badge. 

“ Dear little birds in the tree tops high, 

What is your song ’neath a summer sky? 

‘ The flowers bloom, the earth is fair, 

Sweet is summer, everywhere. 

’Tis sweet, sweet, sweet, don’t you see? 

Oh, sweet, sweet, sweet, for you, for me. 

Come, neighbor, lift your heart and voice! 

All nature sings — rejoice, rejoice I ’ 

“ Dear little birds in the tree tops high. 

What do you sing ’neath a winter sky? 

‘ The summer flowers are fast asleep ; 

Over their beds the snow lies deep. 


THE “E. F. BJ’ 


109 


’Tis deep, deep, deep, don’t you see? 

Oh, deep, deep, deep, for birdies wee. 

Good friends indoors, when winds blow chill. 

Do not forget we’re with you still. 

Give us from out your store a mite. 

We dream of spring in the long, dark night’ ” 

“ I never thought of girls,” said Rand, when 
he and Jimmie had grinned over the letter and 
“ poem.” “ Of course girls can help, too ! ” 

He showed the little girl’s letter to his father, 
who said wdth a smile : 

“ Just write her a nice letter, Rand. Tell her 
that if she will promise never to w^ear a bird or 
any part of one on her hat she may become a life 
member and you will send her a badge at once.” 

The boys went to bed that night with great 
expectations for a little sport in a day or two. 
There had been a thaw the day previous, followed 
by a steady downpour of rain. All that was 
necessary now was a cold spell, and then to test 
the ice-boat ! 


CHAPTER X 

FUN ON THE ICE-COMET ” 

Hurrah,” cried Jimmie, looking out of his win- 
dow one cold morning after the rain, “ we’ll try 
the ice-boat this very morning. The marsh brook 
must be a sheet of glass.” 

He was so excited over the proposed sail that 
he was rushing through breakfast at a most 
unhealthful rate of speed, till his mother spoke 
to him about it. 

“ The ice will hold out for a day or two,” said 
his father. “No need to hurry; mebbe it’s the 
boat that you’re afraid won’t last,” he added 
with a laugh. 

“No siree,” said Jimmie, with a decided 
shake of his head ; “ I’m not afraid that boat will 
fall to pieces. It’s put together good and tight.” 

Not long after, he heard a well-known whistle 
and went to the door to find Rand Cotter smiling 
in expectation of a sail in the Ice-Comet. 

110 


FC72V ON THE ICE-COMET 111 


“ Hurry up, Jimmie; I’m just wild to try that 
ice-boat.” 

I can’t go till I fill the woodbox, but I won’t 
be a minute. Come inside where it’s warm,” 
said Jimmie, scooting into the woodshed and re- 
appearing in a short time with a great armful 
of wood. 

When his work was done, the boys started for 
the barn where the Ice-Comet was the one thing 
visible. 

They got it outside and pushed it along care- 
fully to the marsh brook. When it was safely 
on the ice Band seated himself in the boat, hauled 
in the sheet with one hand, and with the other 
took hold of the tiller. “ Eeady now,” he said, 
and Jimmie, stooping, pushed it along until he 
felt the wind had taken hold of the sail, when 
he, too, got aboard, taking the sheet from 
Band. 

The boat began to move very slowly. Neither 
of the boys said a word in their anxiety as to the 
outcome of this trial trip, but each was wonder- 
ing if everything would work right, or if they 
had failed, and had made only a huge, lumbering 


112 JIMMIE SUTER 

affair that could move at a snail’s pace and that 
was all. 

Suddenly a gust of wind struck the sail and 
pulled the sheet out of Jimmie’s hand. He 
quickly recovered it however, and hauling it 
“ home,” took a turn around the cleat and 
held the slack in the most approved yachting 
fashion. 

Band had luckily given the tiller a turn at the 
proper moment, for the ice-boat started at a good 
clip and sailed along beautifully, making the 
hearts of the builders beat joyfully at the dis- 
covery that all was well — that the Ice-Comet 
really could sail at a good rate of speed. 

Smiles of satisfaction were exchanged between 
the boys as they sailed along the marsh brook, 
but even then they did not make any remarks, 
till they felt a little more at home in the boat. 

Very soon, Rand saw it was about time to 
turn the craft around. 

“ Look out, now,” said Jimmie, as Rand moved 
the tiller cautiously in the right direction and 
she wore around in splendid shape, Jimmie shift- 
ing the sheet at the proper time, while the boat 


FUN ON THE “ICE-COMET” 113 

had headway, so that she moved off on the other 
tack in the most delightful way. 

“ Well, say, Jimmie, isn’t this fine ! You ought 
to be proud of your skill. Did you ever see any- 
thing move along easier?” 

“ Pretty good so far,” returned Jimmie. 

“ Let’s run down as fast as we can,” said Rand, 
“ to the other end, then turn around and go back 
corner-wise to have a longer sail.” 

The wind had freshened since the boys began 
their sailing, and Jimmie was just about to speak 
w’hen a strong gust struck them. The boat was 
now going very fast, and Rand suddenly cried: 

“ Look out Jimmie, I’m going to turn her 
quick,” and he did — quicker than he ever turned 
anything before or after! Even as he spoke he 
put the tiller “ hard down,” the boat turned like 
a peg top, two or three times, and the two young 
ice yachtsmen were rolling over and over, finally 
sliding along the ice for several yards, very much 
surprised at the turn of affairs. 

When they got on their feet again they re- 
garded each other for a second and burst out 
laughing. 


114 


JIMMIE SUTER 


How did it happen, anyway? ” laughed 
Rand. “ It was done so quickly I did not have 
time to think; but where’s the boat? ” 

The boat, as they soon discovered, was where 
it naturally belonged: after turning it had lost 
its momentum and stood “ in stays.” 

“ We’ll try that again,” laughed Rand ; “ not 
the fall. We must find out what caused it to 
act so.” 

Let’s figure it out a second,” said Jimmie; 
“ there must be a safe way to turn around. The 
first time we tried it we turned the right way, so 
w e’ll try that w’^ay again.” 

The boys took their places in the boat, and 
when they had good headway turned her so 
easily that she did not come w^holly around, and 
Jimmie jumped off and pushed her. 

“We didn’t quite do it that time,” he cried; 
“ wee’ll try again.” 

They gave the Ice-Comet a good start, and 
Rand could feel the runners gripping the ice. 
He was just about to give the boat a slight push, 
when he lost his balance, falling tow^ard the 
tiller, which caused him to push it “ hard down ” 


FU:^ ON THE ICE-COMET 115 


again, and in a twinkling they were sprawling 
on the ice. 

We’ll try till we get it right,” said Jimmie, 
picking himself up. And the boys did try again 
and again before they mastered the trick. 

When they finally did succeed, they sailed up 
and down the marsh brook, the Ice-Comet dy- 
ing over the ice like a huge bird. 

The biting wind only gave their cheeks a richer 
color, and the excitement of the sport made their 
eyes sparkle. 

“This is what I call sport,” said Rand, set- 
tling back to take things easy for a minute. He 
had hardly said the words w^hen they landed on 
their backs on the ice, the empty boat, sailing off 
in the opposite direction. 

After this mishap they learned that in ice- 
sailing one must watch out for any obstruction 
on the ice. A small piece of wood, frozen into the 
brook and reaching above the surface of the ice, 
had caused the last fall. 

When it was time to start for home, they se- 
cured the Ice-Comet to a tree. 

That same night the news of the ice-boat had 


116 


JIMMIE SUTER 


spread all over the town, and a new sport was 
introduced to the boys of Sunnyview. 

In the post office, Silas Paul told an interested 
group that he had been driving along that after- 
noon, when he saw a boat “sailing like mad on 
dry land,’’ whereupon, Alec MacLeod remarked, 
“You must ha’ been dreaming Si, an’ hain’t 
woke up yit.” But every boy who heard the 
story made up his mind to visit the marsh brook 
the very next day. 


CHAPTER XI 

AN ADVENTURE IN THE WOODS 

The following morning while the boys were en- 
joying some fine sport in the Ice-Comet a crowd 
of boys appeared on the marsh brook and stood 
watching their movements. 

Although it was very cold, there was a high 
wind, and the boat seemed to fly over the smooth 
surface. 

Jimmie, recognizing some of his schoojmates, 
changed his course and steered toward them, the 
better to display his boat. 

When he reached the boys he stopped and 
explained, with pardonable pride and to their 
evident interest, the mechanism of the Ice-Comet. 

Guess I won’t stay another second,” said 
Charlie Baxter, “ I’m going straight home to 
build one like it.” 

He turned to go, but Jimmie said, “ Hold on a 
minute, Charlie. If you are going to start one 
117 


118 


JIMMIE SUTER 


right off I’ll give you some old iron for the run- 
ners; that is about the hardest thing to get.” 

Thanks,” said Charlie, “ I’ll be glad to have 
it;” and just then Hank Allen stepped forward. 

“ I’m going to make one, too,” said Hank, “ so 
if you’ll let me have a little of the iron I’ll be 
much obliged; but that isn’t what we all came up 
here for. Some of us want ’specially to see Rand 
Cotter.” 

“Me? What can I do for you?” said Rand, 
smiling. 

“ Well, the fact is,” said Hank, “ I’m going 
to be captain of the S. F. B. in my part of the 
town, and all these fellows are going to work for 
me. We came up to find out more about it and 
get those badges you promised in the Euhurhan” 

“ You can have them now,” said Rand. “ If 
you’ll wait I’ll go home and get them.” 

“ And I might as well go, too, and get the old 
iron for you,” said Jimmie; and they started off 
together. 

“ Let us try your boat, while you’re gone, will 
you? ” shouted Hank, after the retreating figures 
of the two boys. 


AN ADVENTURE IN TEE WOODS 119 

Go ahead/’ said Jimmie, “ but look for some 
hard knocks.” 

“ Don’t get twisted,” said Rand. 

“ Pshaw ! ” muttered Hank, getting a hold on 
the Ice-Comet, “ it’s easy enough to sail an ice- 
boat. I suppose they think no one can sail it 
but themselves. Come on Shad.” 

“ What’s the matter with this ! ” cried Hank in 
triumph. While Shad Wilber seated himself. 
Hank undertook to steer. The other boys w^atch- 
ing eagerly, kept w^arm by jumping about with 
an icy wind blowing in their faces. Suddenly 
the boat shot out into the middle of the brook, 
and gave a sudden turn that almost threw them 
out. Hank tried to adjust the tiller while Shad 
held on to the sides with all his might, and looked 
scared. 

“ Why don’t you steer her right? ” roared 
Shad, while the boys looking on laughed and 
shouted. “ She’ll throw us over in a second. 
Pull to the right, no the other way, the other 
w’ay.” 

The more Hank pulled, the more uncertain 
were the antics of the ice-boat, until a sudden 


120 JIMMIE SUTER 

gust of wind sent her spinning to the end of the 
brook. 

“You can’t do it, let me try it once,” said 
Shad ; “ I’ll bet I can ; ” but before he could fin- 
ish they were back again and spinning around 
like a top, with Hank pulling this way and that, 
his lanky body almost doubled in two, in his 
efforts to stop the boat. 

The onlookers roared with laughter. 

“ Oh, it’s easy, anyone can sail an ice-boat,” 
shouted the boys, in mockery, and then a good- 
sized snowball caught Shad Wilber behind the 
ear, but he was laughing so hard at Hank that 
he never noticed it. Hank had attempted to 
stand for a second, when a sudden jerk threw 
him on his stomach, with much force. 

“ Ow,” cried Hank, while the audience fairly 
yelled at this mishap; and just at this point Jim- 
mie Suter and Rand appeared on the scene. 

Jimmie and Rand ran to the side of the boat 
and held it, while Hank, rubbing his stomach, 
rolled out on the ice, his long legs uppermost, 
and Shad Wilber followed. 

Thereupon Jimmie described his experience in 


AN ADVENTURE IN THE WOODS 121 


it to the boys’ interest and amusement. Jklany 
of the boys, at Jimmie’s invitation, took a sail 
in the ice-boat, but most of them were more than 
eager to go home and try to make something that 
w'ould furnish half the fun they had witnessed 
on the Ice-Comet. 

When they had received the badges and in- 
structions from Band, they hurried along. 

“When I make mine. I’ll come up here and 
race with you,” shouted Charlie Baxter, looking 
back. 

“All right,” said Jimmie, “we can beat you 
every time.” 

When Rand and Jimmie were alone again, 
they started up the marsh brook as far as they 
could go, then jumped out, and tying the boat 
to a small tree, went into the woods a little way, 
to visit one of their “ feeding posts.” 

Jimmie whistled and called to the birds, while 
he emptied the contents of a bag of scraps and 
crumbs that he had carried to the open space 
selected for the feeding place. 

As the boys started to walk away they saw a 
number of the hungry little winged creatures 


122 JIMMIE SUTER 

making a tremendous chatter over their good 
fortune. 

“ It isn’t very far to Ben Ridgeway’s,” said 
Jimmie suddenly. “ When I was there on 
Christmas day he was feeling very sick. Sup- 
pose we call up there and see how he is, before 
we go back in the ice-boat; we have plenty of 
time.” 

Rand Cotter agreed, and the boys continued 
on their way, walking at a brisk pace toward 
Ben’s shanty. 

They had not taken twenty steps, when they 
heard a peculiar noise behind them. It seemed 
to begin with a whine and end with a sort of 
howl. 

“What a queer sound,” said Rand, lightly; 
and then glancing at his companion, who had 
suddenly become very quiet, he noticed that Jim- 
mie looked rather frightened. 

“ I just saw something that looked like a black 
dog, behind a clump of bushes, back there,” said 
Jimmie, “and if I didn’t know that there are 
no wolves within fifty miles of this place, I’d 
say it was a wolf.” 


AN ADVENTURE IN THE WOODS 123 

“ I see it,” cried Rand. “ Oh, Jimmie, it looks 
like a wolf. It’s ’way back there, coming 
slowly.” 

The sight unnerved Rand for a second. A 
hungry wolf would attack a couple of boys, and 
they had nothing with which to defend them- 
selves. He was terribly frightened, but Jimmie 
picked up a stout branch that lay in their path 
and said quickly: 

“ It can’t possibly be a wolf, I never heard of 
a wolf in these parts. Foxes are often seen 
about here and sometimes deer. One morning 
about four o’clock my mother saw two beauties 
feeding on the lawn at our front door. She 
called father and me, and we watched them for 
several minutes; all at once father shut a door, 
and at the sound they scampered off toward the 
woods; but wolves, pshaw! it can’t be a wolf — 
it’s a dog.” 

They were now within a stone’s throw of Ben’s 
shanty and Jimmie stood for a second and 
looked back. At the same moment Ben Ridge- 
way, gun in hand, followed by his dog, appeared 
on the scene. 


124 JIMMIE SUTER 

He greeted the boys and said with a grim 
smile : 

“Aren’t ye kind o’ darin’, Jimmie, to tramp 
up here, when there’s a wolf ’round loose.” 

“ Is it really a wolf? ” cried Jimmie, telling 
the experience in the woods. 

“ Oh, yes, it’s a wolf all right ; he escaped from 
one o’ the cages in Woodland Park, some twenty 
mile above here, ’bout three days ago. Haven’t 
yer seen the notice in the paper? At any rate 
he made a raid on my chickens last night, an’ I’m 
layin’ for him.” 

“ He’s in the woods now,” cried Jimmie, ex- 
citedly ; “ I bet we could get him.” 

“ Come on,” said Ben ; “ let’s see if we can 
find him.” And the boys, delighted at the pros- 
pect of hunting a real, live wolf, followed 
him closely. 

They went back over the road and Rand 
pointed out the clump of bushes, where they had 
first caught sight of what they supposed w^as a 
black dog. 

But there was no sign of him until they had 
almost reached the “feeding post,” when they 


AN ADVENTURE IN THE WOODS 125 


saw him smelling along the ground; but he 
darted off at sight of his pursuers and ran into 
the woods. 

Ben’s dog ran after him, barking loudly, while 
Jimmie and Rand, each armed with a stout stick, 
followed. 

Suddenly the dog, following the scent, took a 
side course and approached a great heap of 
brush and small bushes. 

The next instant the wolf sprang into the path, 
just ahead of them. Ben raised his gun and fired 
two shots. Suddenly the hunted animal turned 
made a sudden plunge forward and fell almost 
at their feet. 

“ He’s dead,” cried Jimmie, while Ben turned 
the wolf over with his gun. 

A good day’s work,” muttered Ben, a smile 
of satisfaction on his thin lips. “He got three 
o’ my best pullets last night, the robber ! ” 

“ What are you going to do with him? ” asked 
Jimmie, who half hoped that Ben would say he 
didn’t want the wolf, and if so, Jimmie had de- 
cided to carry it home on the ice-boat. 

“ I’ll give him to the authorities first thing. 


126 


JIMMIE SUTER 


I reckon, and git the reward. Twenty-five dol* 
lars isn’t earned so easy every day.” 

“ Oh, did they offer a reward for him? ” asked 
the boys, all attention. 

“ Guess you’d say so, if you saw nearly a dozen 
men pass my place, in the course o’ the day,” he 
said with a chuckle. “ The wolf was seen yester- 
day near Crowell’s woods an’ they thought they’d 
git him over that way sure, but I knew after he’d 
got a taste o’ my pullets, he wouldn’t go far from 
my place, at least he’d wander back toward 
nightfall, and I was right.” 

Ben put a rope around the wolf and dragged 
it home, while the boys started for the ice-boat, 
eager to reach home and tell of the exciting ad- 
venture in the woods. 


CHAPTER XII 


JOLLY GOOD times! 

‘‘Another good day for the Ice-Comet/^ said 
Rand the next morning, appearing at the cottage 
soon after breakfast. 

“ Even better than yesterday ; there’s a splen- 
did wind. Oh, we’ll have a bully old time to- 
day,” he added, watching Jimmie hurrying 
through his work. 

“ I bet half of Sunnyview will be down at the 
marsh brook this morning,” laughed Jimmie; 
and he was not very far from the truth, as they 
found out later when almost every boy in town 
appeared, dragging some kind of an ice-boat 
after him. 

Rand and Jimmie were enjoying their sail, 
when they heard a shout from Hank Allen, who 
led the crowd. 

“ Hurray,” shouted Hank, “ I’ve got something 
here’ll beat yours.” 


127 


128 


JIMMIE SUTER 


“ Bring her along,” called Jimmie, and we’ll 
have a race.” 

On close inspection. Hank’s boat was found 
to be a big shoe box, fitted up with runners and 
a sail. Shad Wilber had a raft, with a sail, 
while Charlie Baxter had a very fair-looking 
boat made somewhat like the Ice-Comet, 

For a short time the boys watched Charlie try- 
ing to master the trick of handling his new boat ; 
but the wind was terribly strong and there was 
so much fun trying the shoe-box and the other 
original ice-boats, that in a short time all hands 
were aboard for a sail. 

There was much bumping into each other, and 
even more jolly tumbles on the ice, but not one 
of the boats could approach the Ice-Comet in the 
matter of sailing. 

Charlie Baxter’s boat went fairly well, and for 
a few minutes the ice was cleared of the more 
clumsy boats, while Charlie and Jimmie planned 
a race. 

The boys started from the north side of the 
marsh, where the wind was in the right direc- 
tion. The boats were placed on a line marked 


JOLLY GOOD TIMES! 


129 


out on the ice, and at a given signal from Hank 
Allen they started. At the very outset they ran 
into each other and had to begin over again. 

It took several trials before they started satis- 
factorily, and laid their course for a willow tree 
at the other end of the marsh. For a few feet 
the boats kept together; then, of a sudden, the 
Ice-Comet took a spurt and dashed ahead. In 
a second it was ’way ahead and Charlie’s boat 
was plainly out of the race. 

The boys raced and sailed until they grew 
tired of it; some of them had started in to make 
a snow fort, as there was still plenty of snow on 
the marsh. Jimmie and Rand became so much 
interested that they, too, decided to build a fort, 
and when it was completed an immense snow- 
man was made standing sentry at each of the 
forts. 

“ This snow is too hard to work with,” said 
Hank ; but to-morrow I bet there’ll be a fresh 
supply. It’s surely going to snow to-day some- 
time; let’s come here to-morrow and have a 
battle.” 

This proposition was hailed with delight and 


130 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


the boys, feeling that a fall of snow would mean 
no more ice-sailing, started again to enjoy that 
sport. 

Before they reached home at dinner time the 
snow began to fall, lightly at first, and then it 
looked as if another big storm was on the way. 

“ I’m sorry to see more snow,” said Rand ; “ it 
means we’ll have to give up our ice-boat.” 

‘‘Only for a time,” returned Jimmie hope- 
fully. “ We’ll sail again before you leave here.” 

It snowed all afternoon and most of the night, 
but the morning was as fair and bright as a 
winter morning could be; and when Jimmie’s 
work was done, he and Rand started for the 
snow fort. 

A number of boys were already on hand and 
had strengthened the forts considerably with the 
new snow. 

In a short time they divided their number, 
half of them going over to Jimmie’s fort and the 
others staying with Hank Allen. 

“ Now I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” cried Rand. 
“ We will call our quarters Valley Forge and 
Jimmie Suter will be General Washington. The 


JOLLY GOOD TIMES! 131 

other fort will represent the English, with Hank 
for General Cornwallis.” 

“ Three cheers for George Washington,” cried 
the group, rallying ^round Jimmie and throwing 
up their caps. 

“ First in war, first in peace, and first in the 
hearts of his countrymen,” shouted Rand, who 
had recited that line in school once upon a 
time. 

“ Three cheers for the great Cornwallis,” 
shouted the opposing force. Now before we 
begin leCs get plenty of ammunition,” cried the 

great Cornwallis,” starting in to make snow- 
balls. Thereupon every boy set to work, one 
vieing with the other to see who could produce 
the largest number of snowballs, and pile them 
high behind the forts. 

At last all was ready and a big white cannon 
ball was hurled from “ Valley Forge,” landing 
on the shoulder of “ Cornwallis,” walking lei- 
surely behind his fort. 

This was followed by a fusillade of balls from 
both sides, lasting for several minutes. 

Suddenly “ General Washington,” with a com- 


132 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


rade’s jacket tied over his head for protection, 
approached the English fort with an immense 
snowball. He was the target for a volley from 
the “ English,” but he dodged and jumped about 
until within a few feet of the fort, when he 
hurled his ball with all his might and had the 
satisfaction of seeing a third of his enemies’ 
fort give way. 

Like a flash he was back, when the whole 
American army made a rush for the enemy. 

They were half blinded with a volley of snow- 
balls, but they braved the fire and made such a 
vigorous assault that “ Cornwallis ” surrended 
after a hand-to-hand struggle with “ General 
Washington,” during which martial tactics were 
forgotten, and they had rolled over and over in 
the snow together. 

In the afternoon Jimmie had a fine sleigh ride 
with Rand and his father. They started shortly 
after dinner, going out on the lake road, past 
Crowell’s woods. While going through a part 
of Northwood they met two boys in the road, 
who wore S. F. B. badges. 

Mr. Cotter stopped the sleigh and the presi- 



One chickadee bolder than the rest had alighted on the 
boy’s cap. — Page 133. 




JOLLY GOOD TIME^! 


133 


dent of the S. P. B. called the boys and 
asked them about the work in their neighbor- 
hood. 

Jimmie and Band were very much pleased to 
learn that the two boys were captains, represent- 
ing two different sections of their town, and they 
not only fed the birds themselves, but had gone 
about and asked every family in the neighbor- 
hood to help in the work. 

They had a very pleasant conversation. Band 
introducing himself and Jimmie, which greatly 
interested the two captains. 

Then the sleigh ride was continued without 
interruption until all at once a novel sight pre- 
sented itself. 

Not far from a large yellow house, they came 
upon a boy, standing in an open space he had 
made in the snow. 

He was in the act of feeding a number of birds, 
mostly chickadees, and one chickadee bolder than 
the rest had alighted on the boy’s cap. 

The party in the sleigh had stopped and were 
taking in the interesting spectacle, while every 
now and then the laughing boy placed a morsel 


134 


JIMMIE SUTER 


of food on his cap, which was picked up eagerly 
by the confiding little chickadee. 

Eand started the horses, as he wanted to ap- 
proach a little nearer; but the noise of the bells 
frightened the birds and they scattered to the 
nearby trees. 

The boy who was feeding them, a fine-looking, 
rosy-cheeked lad about Rand’s age, turned to 
look at the occupants of the sleigh ; when Jimmie 
noticed he wore the red badge of the S. F. B. on 
his coat. 

Without a word Jimmie took out his own 
badge and held it before the stranger, who 
smiled and said, So you’re in the ‘ S. F. B.’ too, 
are you? ^ 

I should say so,” said Rand Cotter. “ He 
is the boy who thought out the whole scheme.” 

“ And he is the president,” said Jimmie, point- 
ing to Rand, with a grin ; “ President Rand 
Cotter.” 

The boy raised his cap, and made a low bow 
with mock courtesy. “I thought the president 
of the S. F. B. was a big fellow, but I guess you’re 
not any bigger than I am. If you’re the presi- 


JOLLY GOOD TIMES! 135 

dent, maybe you know who I am. I wrote you a 
letter ” 

“ About Captain Crumb,” broke in Rand, smil- 
ing all oyer. “ I guess you’re Philip Moon.” 

“ That’s my name,” said the lad. 

Jimmie thought the new boy had the merriest 
eyes he ever saw. 

While this bit of conversation was going on 
between the boys, the hungry birds made a great 
deal of noise and clatter from the near-by trees. 

They don’t like to be disturbed at meal 
time,” said Philip Moon, his bright, sunny face 
beaming all over. 

He threw some more scraps on the ground, 
and turning to the boys said : 

“ Would you like to see some fine rabbits? ” 

The boys declared they would and jumping 
out of the sleigh followed their new friend to the 
barn of the yellow house. 

There were five rabbits, and very pretty and 
tame they were, running to Philip when he 
called them and poking their heads into his coat 
pocket to nibble crumbs that he had placed there 
on purpose. 


136 


JIMMIE 8UTEB 


When the boys had played with the tame rab- 
bits awhile, Philip took his new friends upstairs 
to the loft to see his pigeons. He had ten, all 
told, which he showed with pride, especially two 
very handsome white carrier pigeons. 

“ And now I have something else to show 
you,” said the boy, leading the way out of the 
barn, toward a small shed with a roof made of 
glass window’s, the panes of w’hich were very 
small. 

What do you suppose is in there? ” he asked, 
with a broad smile, before he opened the door. 

Is it a goat? ” asked Rand. Maybe it’s 
some kind of a fancy breed that requires a glass 
roof.” 

Philip Moon laughed aloud. He seemed to 
enjoy keeping the boys in suspense, and said, 
“ Come, now, guess again. It isn’t exactly what 
you’d call a goat.” 

^‘Why! I get a strong odor of violets, but it 
can’t be that,” said Jim. “ Don’t you smell 
them? ” he said, turning to Philip and Rand. 

“ I do for sure,” laughed Philip, “ but our big 
president here thinks it’s a goat.” 


JOLLY GOOD TIMES! 137 

Then he opened the door to the tiniest green- 
house you ever saw, filled with violets. 

“Growing violets in winter!” exclaimed Jim- 
mie. “ Well, that’s an odd thing for a boy to 
do.” 

“ It’s lots of fun,” cried Philip, “ and it isn’t 
a hard thing to do either. This was an old shed 
and father fixed it up for me, putting in the 
glass roof. That small pipe connects with the 
house, and supplies the heat. On very cold 
nights I also use a small stove; but they don’t 
require very much heat. The right kind of soil 
and lots of moisture are about all you have to 
look out for.” 

The violets blooming in large boxes on a sort 
of table, filled the air with their delicious 
fragrance. 

“ Do you like to plant things and watch them 
grow? ” he asked, with his brightest smile; and 
without waiting for an answer he went on, “ I 
like to ‘ grow things ’ better than anything else. 
I tried an experiment last fall. I’ll tell you all 
about it sometime. When I’m a man, I’m going 
to bring some fiowers and fruits that grow in 


138 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


islands Vay off, and see if I can’t raise them here, 
I mean, of course, where the climate is like 
ours.” 

Philip seemed to know a great deal more about 
growing things than his companions. It was 
easily seen that he was very much interested 
in his pet schemes and enthusiastic over the sub- 
ject of growing plants. 

As the three boys stood together in the home- 
made greenhouse, they presented a striking con- 
trast, not only in looks, but in tastes and inclina- 
tion ; and yet all were fine types and interesting 
boys. 

Philip and Band stood shoulder to shoulder, 
as regards height, and both had finely cut fea- 
tures and straight, black hair; but Rand was 
more of a dreamer than Philip. As a child he 
had loved fairy stories and he still liked to take 
imaginary trips, himself the hero of the boyish 
romances he liked to weave. 

Philip Moon had a fine forehead and his bright 
‘'ace seemed constantly ready to break into the 
sunniest smiles. 

One would know that he loved all human kind. 


JOLLY GOOD TIMES! 


139 


and that no creature or growing thing was too 
insignificant to claim his care and attention. 

As for Jimmie! but no pen could describe Jim- 
mie Suter! One could say, and with truth, that 
he stood half a head higher than his companions, 
that his features were not strictly regular. He 
had a round, innocent face, every square inch of 
which was freckled; a pair of honest gray eyes; 
a thick mop of dark red hair, a tuft of which 
always stood erect and waved defiance on the 
very crown of his head. 

One could say all this, but that would not be 
telling of Jimmie’s quick, clever, practical 
nature, his boyish zeal to do things, his loyalty 
and unswerving honesty. 

But Rand’s father called, while they stood in 
the little place, and told them it was time to start 
for home ; so they took leave of their new friend, 
with a warm invitation to come to Sunnyview the 
very first Saturday he could spare. 


CHAPTER XIII 

JIMMIE’S TELEPHONE 

“ It’s too bad we can’t have another chance to 
sail the ice-boat before I go back to school,” said 
Jimmie the following day, while the boys were 
making a coast down Sunset Hill. 

“ School,” repeated Rand, resting on his 
shovel and looking keenly at his companion, “ I 
never thought of that.” 

“ Just because you don’t have to go, you for- 
get all about others,” smiled Jimmie. “ To- 
morrow is the last day of my vacation.” 

“ Oh, pshaw ! ” cried Rand, petulantly, “ and I 
was planning ever so many things to do to-mor- 
row. You know, Jimmie, we won’t be here a 
great while longer and I wanted to sail the Ice- 
Comet every minute. I never had so much fun in 
my life as I’ve had in that boat.” 

^‘Well, there’s no use in planning for sport 
during school hours,” returned our hero. ‘‘ We’ll 

140 


JIMMIE’S TELEPHONE 


141 


have to wait, and hope for a change in the 
weather, before we can sail again. We’ve had 
a great deal of snow, more than usual, this win- 
ter, but,” he added hopefully, “ there’s a big 
thaw about this time of year usually; then if 
we have rain and a good cold night, the marsh 
brook always overflows, and the whole marsh is 
a lake.” 

“ ‘ Sunnyview Lake,’ there’s a new name for 
you,” cried Land. “ It sounds good, too.” 

His expression of disappointment vanished 
for the time. He stood thinking a minute and 
then said, with his happiest smile : 

“ The famous ice-boat, known as the Ice- 
Comet, owned by Jimmie Suter and Rand Cot- 
ter, can be seen every pleasant day on Sunnyview 
Lake. The exhibitions of skill and speed dis- 
played by these two young ice-yachtsmen are lit- 
tle short of marvellous. 

“ Ahem ! ” said Rand, when he had finished 
speaking. How does that sound, Jimmie? ” 
How would it look in print? ” cried Jimmie, 
and his face lit up. “ I have an idea ! ” 

“ You generally have a few and some 


142 JIMMIE 8VTER 

to spare/^ laughed Eand. “What is it this 
time? 

“ Put that notice you just made up in the 
Suburban News in our S. F. B. column, and 
invite all the captains of the surrounding towns 
to come over here and see the fun.” 

“ Good idea, Jimmie! Splendid! There^s only 
one thing wrong about it, we’ll have to wait until 
Mr. Weather sends us the right conditions be- 
fore we can show off the Ice-Comet.’^ 

“ Of course,” returned the other, “ I meant 
when the brook was frozen again.” 

“ And so you really go back to school day after 
to-morrow,” observed Eand, returning to the 
original subject; “wish I had a telephone or 
something from my house to the school.” 

“Another idea, Eand!” and Jimmie stopped 
shoveling and began to grin at his companion; 
every freckle on his rosy face glowing in the 
crisp, wintry air. 

“Where do you keep all your ideas, I’d like 
to know,” laughed Eand. 

“ Under this,” said Jimmie, tapping his cap ; 
“ and the funny part of it is, I don’t know they 


JIMMIE’8 TELEPHONE 


143 


are there, until you say something and then they 
just pop out. You just made a remark about a 
telephone to the schoolhouse; that’s out of the 
question, but I can make one from your house 
to mine in less than ten minutes.” 

“ You can ! ” exclaimed Rand, half doubtfully. 

“ Oh, not the kind you mean,” laughed Jim, 
“ although if we stopped to plan it out we might 
stretch a wire and have a signal code ; but mine 
is a simple affair. There is an old pulley some- 
where in the barn, and if I can find it and get a 
piece of rope. I’ll make something that’ll be just 
as good as a telephone. 

Say ! let’s do it now,” cried Rand, dropping 
his shovel. 

Oh, don’t you want to have a good coast 
first? ” said our hero, who always liked to finish 
anything he had started. He knew that in a 
short time the coast woud be a fine one. 

“ Perhaps we had better,” said Rand, begin- 
ning with a will to do his part. 

In a few minutes the work of making the coast 
was completed, and dragging their double run- 
ner to the very top, they sped down the old hill 


144 


JIMMIE SVTER 


again and again, enjoying the sport so thor- 
oughly that it was noon before they knew it. 

After dinner they searched in the barn for the 
old pulley that Jimmie had seen there the sum- 
mer before ; but not a trace of it could be found. 

Jimmie was very much disappointed, as he 
had it in his head to get a strong rope and do 
all sorts of things on the pulley. They -were 
obliged to use a ball of twine, slipped through 
the blind-fasteners, but it worked beautifully to 
send notes back and forth and even something 
else that Jimmie thought of. 

Just before going to bed that night he made 
up his mind to play a joke on Rand. He found 
a toy basket, that belonged to his baby sister, 
and attached a tiny bell to it. 

When he had secured the basket to the tele- 
phone,” he placed inside a ginger cookie, a piece 
of cold potato, and the following note: 

“ Here’s a basket of cold victuals for the Presi- 
dent of the Society for the Feeding of Birds. 
When he has had all he can eat, he might give 
the rest to the birds.” 

Jimmie, highly pleased at his joke, watched 


JIMMIE’S TELEPHONE 


145 


Eand’s bedroom window until he saw the light, 
and he knew his friend was getting ready to 
retire for the night. When the light disappeared 
and all was darkness, Jimmie sent the basket 
along on the twine pulley. 

<< Ting-a-ling-ling,” sounded the little bell as 
it went over the line; and by pulling sharply, 
two or three times, when the basket stopped out- 
side Rand’s window, the ringing sounded louder 
than ever. 

Jimmie listened and in a few moments heard 
somebody raise the window, the basket was 
taken inside and all was still. 

Our hero went to bed with a broad grin on his 
face, wondering w^hat Rand would say when he 
read the note and saw the contents of the basket. 

In the morning when Jimmie aw^oke, he saw 
big drops on the window and heard the patter- 
ing of the rain on the roof. He was not sorry to 
see it, although it was the last day of vacation, 
and it meant that he would have to stay indoors, 
for it also meant the overflow of the marsh 
brook, and more fun in the Ice-Comet. 

While dressing he heard a familiar ‘Uing-a* 


146 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


ling-ling ” outside his window, and on opening it 
saw a fine banana tied to the small basket. 

It did not take a minute to unfasten the string 
that held the banana, w^hen the following note, 
somewhat rain-soaked, dropped out of the 
basket. 

“ Here’s a nice, fresh banana, strictly fresh. 
If Captain Jimmie Suter likes it, he can eat it, 
but give a bite to Tod.” 

Jimmie thrust the banana in his pocket and 
ran downstairs, determined to think of some- 
thing else to send over to Rand. 

He forgot all about the banana until after 
breakfast, when, putting his hand in his pocket 
for something, he pulled the banana out. Tod, 
looking at his big brother with round eyes of 
astonishment, cried out, “ Dim me a bit, dim me 
a bit.” 

Jimmie started to peel the banana, when he 
discovered that the yellow skin had been stuffed 
with cotton wool, and held together with some 
kind of glue. 

He laughed aloud at the trick and how easily 
Rand had fooled him; but little Tod, whose 


JIMMIE’B TELEPHONE 


147 


“ treat ” had been spoiled, failed to see any joke 
in a cotton-wool banana, and puckered up his 
lips, all ready to cry. 

“Don’t cry. Tod,” laughed Jimmie; and sud- 
denly remembering that Tod’s chief delight was 
“ fishing ” in his big brother’s pocket, said : 

“ Put your hand in my pocket, Tod, and see 
all the things you can find.” 

Tod’s face w^as all smiles as he put his chubby 
fist in that typical boy’s pocket and pulled out 
an old jack-knife, two marbles, a rusty nail, a 
bent pin, a ball of twine, a piece of tar, an old 
butternut, a slate pencil, two small pieces of 
wood, an old coin, and a crumpled ball of white 
paper, which, when Jimmie smoothed it out, con- 
tained ^the following: 

“ Do all the good you can in the world and 
make as little noise about it as possible.” 

It was a motto given him some weeks previous 
in school. 


CHAPTER XIV 
all’s well that ends well ” 

The Christmas vacation was over and Jimmie 
did not have very much time to play ; but he and 
Rand managed to have a little sport together in 
one way or another almost every day. 

The Ice-Comet was once more called into play, 
as the marsh brook was in splendid condition. 

One evening, Rand Cotter talked over the plan 
with Jimmie to invite all the captains of the S. 
F. B., who did not live too far away, to visit 
Sunnyview the following Saturday to see the 
ice-boat. 

The invitation was given through the column 
of the Suburban News devoted to the affairs of 
the S. P. B., and our boys looked forward 
eagerly to a jolly time. 

Philip Moon was given a special invitation by 
letter, as both Rand and Jimmie felt that they 
wanted to see this new friend more than all the 
others. 


148 


ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL” 149 


Our hero hoped that the ice would last, and he 
watched the weather anxiously for any sign of 
approaching change. 

When Friday night came and everything 
looked propitious, he was delighted, and talked 
it over with Band, as they sat before an open fire 
in one of the pleasant rooms in the big white 
house while they were eating roasted chest- 
nuts. 

wonder if they’ll all come,” said Rand, 
when the conversation had turned on the all-im- 
portant subject, the expected visit of the cap- 
tains of the S. F. B. the following day. 

“ My father wanted to know just how many 
were coming, but, of course, I couldn’t tell him 
exactly. Some of the boys wrote and said they 
would surely be here. I do hope Philip Moon 
will come; he’s just the one for a good time, and 
I’d like to see him again before I go back to the 
city.” 

^‘When are you going back?” asked his com- 
panion. 

“ Very soon, I think, perhaps next week or the 
week after.” 


150 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


Well,” said Jimmie, “ if you come to Sunny- 
view next summer, you’ll see him; perhaps the 
three of us might get together and have a great 
time.” 

^‘Yes, but you see, Jimmie, I’m not certain 
that we are coming next summer. It’s possible 
my father may make a change, but I hope we 
shall come, and I’ll do my best to get here.” 

“ You seem always to get what you like,” ob- 
served Jimmie. 

Not always,” laughed Rand. “ For instance, 
I’d like to go off somewhere hunting big game, 
but I can’t, not at present.” 

“ Oh, that’s what I’d like, Rand ! I think I’d 
like to hunt lions in India; that must be 
exciting ! ” 

“ If you’d like good hunting you wouldn’t have 
to go so far,” said Rand ; “ there’s splendid hunt- 
ing and fishing right at home, in this country. 
There are camps in Maine and Canada, where 
ever so many people go to enjoy the sport; then 
there’s the Rockies — did I ever tell you what 
happened to my cousin Bob out in the Rocky 
Mountains?” 


ALUS WELL THAT ENDS WELL” 151 


“ No,” said Jimmie, all attention. “ Has he 
been Vay out there? ” 

“ Oh, yes, he’s been in a camp out there and had 
splendid times; and once he had a pretty narrow 
escape. He was out hunting one day, and lost 
his party. He was on the trail of a mountain 
lion, and everything went along all right until he 
stumbled and fell over a steep bank. He didn’t 
think very much about the fall, till he tried to 
rise, when he found something was wrong. 
Well, the fact is he’d broken his leg, and 
the pain, when he attempted to move, was 
terrible. 

“ There he was, helpless, with a broken leg, 
and not a living soul in sight ; but in a few min- 
utes, he became conscious of something above 
him. 

“ He looked up and there met the hungry eyes 
of a full-sized mountain lion looking down at 
him. 

“ You can imagine how cousin Bob felt, lying 
there, with a broken leg, and a wild animal look- 
ing him over before he made a meal of him. 

Cautiously cousin Bob turned a little, and 


152 


JIMMIE EUTER 


without moving his eyes from those fierce, wild 
ones over him, grasped his rifie and fired, just 
as the lion was getting ready to spring, killing 
it instantly. 

“ Wasn’t that a narrow escape? 

“ The lion fell almost across his knees, making 
him groan with the pain, but it Tvas a much bet- 
ter feeling to have him right there, Bob said, 
than in the other place. 

“Well, to make a long story short, his party 
found him at last and got him back to camp, but 
the first time I heard Bob tell that story, I tell 
you I was scared.” 

“ That was a narrow escape ! ” exclaimed Jim- 
mie, with a low whistle, when Band had finished. 
“ Just suppose he hadn’t had a gun or anything 
with him, wouldn’t that have been awful? ” 

“ Oh, out there,” returned Rand, “ a man never 
takes chances like that; he always goes about 
well armed.” 

“ I’d like to go off like that,” he added. 
“Wouldn’t it be fine if we could go hunting 
together sometime? ” 

“ It would be fine,” echoed Jimmie, “ if we 


ALUS WELL THAT ENDS WELL’’ 153 

could camp out together in a real, truly camp; 
it would be great sport.” 

“I could have a jolly time just camping out 
here in the woods, or near the lake, as far as 
that goes,” said Band. 

If the boys could have looked into the future 
that night, as they sat before the cozy open fire, 
they would have seen a picture that surpassed 
even their brightest hopes, but they never 
dreamed what was in store for them in the way 
of good times ahead. 

At nine o’clock Jimmie had to leave his friend 
and start for home. He pulled his cap over his 
ears, when he shut the door of the big white 
house, and hurried homeward. He glanced at 
the sky with its countless stars, at the winter 
moon, shining down on a still, cold earth, and it 
seemed as if he could discern the slightest circle 
around the moon. Jimmie knew that this meant 
a storm sooner or later. 

“If it only keeps off till Sunday, I’ll not 
care if it storms for a week,” thought Jimmie, 
as he entered his own cheery kitchen. 

Just before Jimmie got into bed that night he 


154 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


took a last look at the sky, hoping that the next 
day would be pleasant, so that all the plans 
might be carried out, which he and Rand had 
made, for a good time. 

He could not have been asleep very long when 
he was suddenly awakened by a confused mur- 
mur of voices and someone moving about outside 
his room. 

Jimmie listened a moment and jumped out of 
bed. He ran to the window and saw a team, 
with some men and at that moment heard his 
father’s voice. 

Jimmie began to dress hurriedly, and flew out 
of the room before the task was completed. 

“ There’s a fire, Jimmie, some place above 
here,” said his father, putting on his coat. “ Alec 
MacLeod thinks it’s Ben Ridgeway’s place.” 

“ Can I go, father? ” asked Jimmie, eagerly. 
“ I’m all ready but my coat.” 

“ Hurry then, no time to waste,” said the man, 
going downstairs. 

It did not take Jimmie long to muffle up; he 
was soon outside, on the back of the wagon, and 
they were driving like mad toward the lake. 


ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL” 155 


On the way, two other teams passed, filled 
with men and boys, and a dozen or more were 
rushing in the same direction on foot. When a 
fire occurred in Sunnyview, everybody turned 
out to help extinguish it. 

At last they were near enough to see, and sure 
enough Ben’s shanties were burning fast. Luck- 
ily it was a still night and there was no wind to 
spread the flames. 

In a few moments the men were on the scene 
and started to work with a will. Jimmie was 
rushing hither and thither, carrying pails of 
water, and helping his father find the hens and 
put them in the barn. In the moonlight it was 
easy to see several other boys walking about, 
among them. Shad Wilber. 

The hen sheds were completely destroyed, and 
the shanty in which Ben lived was partly 
burned; but the barn, by far the best building 
in the lot, was not damaged at all. 

It was a very exciting time while it lasted, but 
the men worked hard and before very long the 
flames were extinguished, and the people started 
for their homes. 


156 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


Ben Ridgeway reluctantly accepted John 
Suter’s invitation to ride back in Alec Mac- 
Leod’s wagon and stay at the cottage. 

“ For to-night, only for to-night, neighbor,” 
said Ben, when they had started on the way. 

I’ll have to be up here to look after things, an’ 
I can fix up a place to stay in for the present.” 

It was near midnight when Jimmie followed 
his father and Ben into the house ; and in a few 
moments he was again in bed, tired indeed from 
the night’s adventure. 

But Jimmie was not to sleep very long that 
night, as he found out a little later, when he felt 
someone shake him by the shoulder and heard 
a voice say : 

“ Wake up, Jimmie, wake up ! ” 

Our hero rubbed his eyes, as he recognized his 
father’s voice, and without a word, jumped out 
of bed. 

Just slip something on a minute and come 
with me to the loft,” said his father. 

The boy snatched a small blanket that lay 
across his bed, and followed his father, who car- 
ried a dark lantern. When they had climbed the 


^^ALUS WELL THAT ENDS WELL’> 157 


narrow stairs and reached the loft, his father 
pointed to the skylight. 

“ There’s something on fire out there, near the 
brook. Your mother and I can’t quite make out 
whether it’s a tree or ” 

“ It’s my ice-boat ! ” shouted Jimmie, in dis- 
may, staring at the sight, as if he could not be- 
lieve the evidence of his senses. “ My ice-boat ! 
Why, father,” he cried, as the truth dawned 
upon him, “ it must have been set on fire ! Who 
could have done it? ” 

“ It’s a singular thing,” mused the man. “ I 
heard the baby cry, and got up to see if she was 
all right, and as I did I noticed a glare that I 
could not make out; so I came up here to 
investigate.” 

“ Couldn’t I run over, father, and put it out? ” 
cried Jim, almost ready to cry, as he seemed to 
realize the terrible loss his fine boat would be 
to him. 

^^Too late now, Jimmie; it had a good start 
before I ever saw it. The sail must be burnt up. 
I doubt if the framework will burn long; best go 
back to bed now and see it to-morrow.” 


158 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


“ Do you think anyone set Ben’s place afire? ” 
asked Jimmie. 

“ No, oh no,” replied his father. “ Ben got up 
and went to the shed farthest away from his 
place to get a lantern he’d left there; he thinks 
he dropped a match ; but it looks to me, Jimmie, 
as though someone, on his way home from Ben’s 
fire, thought he’d fix your boat.” 

Jimmie was silent and did not give voice to a 
suspicion that instantly flashed into his mind. 
There was one person at Ben’s fire who was 
mean enough to do an act like that; still, Jimmie 
could hardly entertain the thought that such a 
deed had been committed; it seemed so con- 
temptible. 

“ Better go back to bed now,” said his father, 

and we can talk about it to-morrow.” 

So saying, he led the way out of the loft and 
downstairs. 

“ What a disappointment it would mean,” 
thought Jimmie, as he got into bed again and 
went over, in his mind, the burning of the ice- 
boat. 

“ Who could have done it? ” he asked himself 


“ ALU ^ WELL THAT ENDS WELL” 159 


over and over, and thought with regret of Rand’s 
great disappointment, when he should hear of it. 
If the next day was pleasant all the captains 
would come to Sunnyview to see the Ice-Comet. 
It was too bad ! and in the midst of his unsettled 
thoughts Jimmie fell into a deep sleep and did 
not open his eyes until the morning sun was 
streaming in his window. 

Like a flash Jim was out of bed ; and when he 
had dressed, he wrote a hasty note to Rand, tell- 
ing him what had happened to the Ice-Comet. 
He placed his note in the “telephone” basket 
and sent it jingling over to Rand’s window. 

It was a flne, clear day, and as our hero looked 
across the pleasant fields of Sunnyview, he 
thought, with a pang of regret, what a splendid 
time would have been assured if there had been 
no mishap the night before. 

When he went downstairs he found his father 
and mother, smiling over the early departure 
of Ben Ridgeway. 

“ He just swallowed a mouthful of coffee,” 
said Jim’s mother, “and a piece of toast, and 
hurried away; but he’s coming back. He said 


160 


JIMMIE SUTER 


he was going to have a two-room cottage built 
and he wants to see your father about it.” 

Jimmie had hardly finished his chores, after 
breakfast, when Rand appeared, and they hur- 
ried off together to the spot where they had left 
the Ice-Comet the day before, securely tied to a 
small tree. 

All that was now left of their jolly boat was 
a few charred boards. 

“ I only wish I knew who did it ! ” cried Rand, 
indignantly. “ I’d make him pay for it.” 

Again a name was on Jimmie’s tongue, but it 
was only a suspicion, and he felt he ought not 
to say it. 

“ I’ve been thinking all the morning what we 
can do when the captains of the S. F. B. come 
here to-day,” remarked Jimmie. 

Oh, we’ll skate and play hockey,” returned 
Rand. “ I told them to bring their hockey sticks 
you know; but it seems too bad to disappoint 
them about the ice-boat, when we’d counted so 
much on it.” 

About two o’clock that Saturday afternoon, 
the first guest arrived, in the person of Philip 


‘‘ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL” 161 


Moon. He was followed shortly by a group of 
five boys who hailed from Belleview. A party 
of four from Northwood came next and almost 
immediately still another batch of the S. F. B. 
captains put in an appearance. They were all 
greeted warmly by Jimmie and Band. Every 
boy wore his badge and for several minutes, 
there was a lively conversation about the doings 
of the various captains in their respective neigh- 
borhoods. When the talk turned to the event of 
the day, the ice-sailing, Rand told the story of 
the burning of the Ice-Comet. The boys were 
shocked on hearing of the mishap and went to 
the marsh brook to see all that was left of the 
boat, while Jimmy explained to them just how 
he had put it together. Of course the visitors were 
disappointed not to have had the fun of sailing in 
the ice-boat, but as they had all brought their 
skates and hockey sticks, they started in and very 
soon an exciting game was in progress. 

They played until Rand’s father suddenly ap- 
peared on the edge of the ice, and called Jimmie. 
He whispered a few words to our hero and saun- 
tered leisurely back to the house. 


162 


JIMMIE SUTER 


Jimmie called all the boys to come near and 
hear what he had to say. At the “ gathering of 
the clans” Jimmie told them to take off their 
skates and go up to the big w^hite house. 

“ I don’t know what it is,” said Jimmie, but 
Mr. Cotter said there was something up there 
you’d want to see.” 

“ Let’s go at once,” said Eand, beginning to 
unfasten his skates. 

‘‘ And then we must start for home ; at least I 
must,” said Philip Moon, taking out his watch. 

With boyish cheers and shouting, the visitors 
followed their president to the big white house; 
and w hen they opened the door of the large hall, 
there was a sight for twenty hungry boys, who 
had played hockey all the afternoon! A feast 
had been prepared. A long table, filled with 
good things, w as w’aiting, and at the end of the 
banquet hall hung a large sign, made out of 
holly leaves, which read: 

“ WELCOME, CAPTAINS OF THE S. F. B.” 

I need not tell you that the whole affair had 
been planned by Mr. Cotter, and w^as as much a 


ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL” 163 


surprise to Band and Jimmie as it was to the 
visitors. 

It was a very joyous gathering. The burned 
ice-boat w^as forgotten, as jokes and laughter 
mingled with the good cheer. Philip Moon told 
a funny story, then ideas and personal experi- 
ences w^ere exchanged between the boys, and 
plans for more meetings in the future were 
discussed. 

It was a splendid ending to the afternoon’s 
sport, seeming almost to make up for the great 
loss of the Ice-Comet; and when it was over and 
the boys started for their homes, no braver, mer- 
rier, happier captains could be found in all the 
wide world than those of the S. F. B, 


CHAPTER XV 

BUSY TIMES 

Two weeks had passed since the meeting of the 
captains of the S. F. B. 

The big white house was closed and the occu- 
pants had betaken themselves to the city for the 
remaining part of the winter. 

At first it was very lonely for Jimmie with- 
out Rand; but he consoled himself with the 
thought that the warm spring days were not so 
far away, when his friend would probably come 
again to Sunnyview ; so he looked forward hope- 
fully to more good times in the future. 

One Saturday morning Jimmie was working 
away at his bench, making a small wagon for 
brother Tod, when his mother appeared before 
him, a letter in her hand. I suppose it’s from 
Rand,” she said, with a smile. “ Alec MacLeod 
just brought it from the post office.” 

It isn’t Rand’s writing,” said Jimmie, look- 

164 


BUSY TIMES 165 

ing at the address, and then hastily opening the 
letter he read aloud the following: 

“Friend Jimmie: 

“ I thought I could come over to see you 
on Saturday, about something special, but fell 
on the ice yesterday and sprained my ankle; so 
this changed all my plans. What I wanted to 
see you about is this: Will you build a canoe 
for me, just like the one in your barn, that you 
made last summer out of cheese boxes? 

“ I’m no good at building. I guess I’m not 
clever at making anything and just want to 
plant all the time. 

“ I’ve got an orange tree started in my kitchen 
and am having lots of fun watching it. Last 
summer I planted some blueberry bushes (from 
the seed) and in the fall I transplanted one in a 
firkin and have had it in the house all winter. 

“ I want to find out sometime if it isn’t possible 
to raise blueberries in early spring. I wonder if 
anybody has ever tried it. My father says ‘ it’s a 
wild goose idea.’ 

“ Last year I started all our tomato plants in 


IGG 


JIMMIE EUTER 


the house from the seed, and later on planted 
them in our garden. 

Well, now, if you’ll get all the material and 
make the canoe for me. I’ll be glad to pay your 
price, whatever you think it’s worth; and when 
my ankle is better I’m going to Sunnyview to 
see you. « Your friend, 

“ Philip Moon.” 

“ Say, mother, isn’t that fine?” cried Jimmie, 
putting the letter in his pocket. “An order to 
make a canoe ; I’ll make him a dandy ! ” 

“ You’ll have to get your cheese boxes first, 
you know. The last time you built the canoe 
Rand had them sent from the city.” 

“ That’s true, mother, but I think I can get 
them from Charlie Baxter’s uncle, and the 
sooner the better. Do you think of anything you 
need from the store? ” 

“ I was just going to say, that I do need a few 
groceries and you could get them this afternoon. 
Your father’s so busy trying to get Ben’s new 
cottage finished, that I know he’ll work till the 
last minute,” 


BUSY TIMES 


167 


’ont my wagon, tho I do,” cried Tod, who 
had been waiting patiently, during this conversa- 
tion, for Jimmie to go on with his work. 

And you’re going to have it. Tod, in ten min- 
utes,” said the builder, starting in with a will to 
finish his task. 

When it was completed, with a There now. 
Tod ! ” and the happy little fellow was toddling 
away, Jimmie put aside his tools and went into 
the house. 

Immediately after dinner, he started on his 
errand to the village grocery store. He had a 
long walk before him and the roads were in bad 
condition, but in spite of mud and snow Jimmie 
made good progress. 

There was a promise of spring in the air and 
in the warm sunshine, this pleasant Saturday 
afternoon, and the boy whistled in the gladness 
of his heart as he hurried over the road. 

Thoughts of the good times he had had during 
the winter flashed into his mind. It certainly 
had been a jolly season, with only one incident 
to mar its pleasant train of events. The burning 
of the ice-boat ! He could not think of that even 


168 JIMMIE 8UTER 

now, without feelings of bitter disappoint- 
ment. 

Again the name of the boy whom Jimmie sus- 
pected flashed into his mind; but he determined 
to put away all suspicious thoughts in the 
future. He had questioned every boy in his 
school about the affair, but no one seemed to 
know anything about it, and all Tvere as much 
surprised at the deed as Jimmie himself had 
been. 

He was still turning the matter over in his 
mind when he reached Baxter’s grocery store. 
It so happened that the clerk was busy and Mr. 
Baxter, a genial, ruddy-faced man, who always 
had his glasses pushed up on his big forehead, 
got the list of articles that Jimmie’s mother 
wanted. 

“ Do you sell empty cheese boxes? ” asked our 
hero, when the man was tying up the last 
package. 

Empty cheese boxes? Well, we don’t make a 
specialty of them,” he said with a smile. 
“Would you like an empty cheese box, 
Jimmie? ” 


BUSY TIMES 169 

‘‘ Yes, sir, I would like to buy all you can 
spare.” 

And may I ask what you want so many for 
all at once, Jimmie? ” 

“ I am going to use them in making a 
canoe.” 

Well, now, that^s quite a scheme, shouldn’t 
wonder if we had a few,” and the grocer’s ruddy 
face beamed, as he beckoned Jimmie to follow 
him to the rear of the store. 

You go down there in the basement, Jimmie, 
and pick up all you can find.” 

The boy w^as delighted and soon was carefully 
searching in the debris of piled up barrels, fir- 
kins, and empty cases for his cheese boxes; but 
in spite of his labor he succeeded in finding only 
three, which he placed at one side and went up- 
stairs to tell Mr. Baxter. 

Imagine his surprise when the genial grocer 
pointed to a great pile of them near the side 
door, on top of some fiour barrels. 

“ There’s a few I found after you’d gone down- 
stairs,” he said, smiling at Jimmie’s pleased 
expression. 


170 


JIMMIE SUTER 


“ I would like to buy all of them,” said the lad, 
eagerly. 

“ You may earn them if you like,” said the 
man ; “ the fact is we’re short-handed Saturday, 
our busy day. I’d have had my nephew up here 
helping, but he’s gone to Boston with his mother. 
Now, Jimmie, I think you can do just as well, if 
not better, than Charlie, so if you’ll deliver a few 
orders for me you can have all the cheese boxes 
and welcome.” 

Delighted at the chance to earn the boxes, 
Jimmie expressed himself as ready to start at 
once, whereupon he was sent with a wheelbarrow 
full of groceries for a family about half a mile 
from the store. 

When these were delivered he returned and 
was sent out again with a small order. 

On his return, Mr. Baxter said : Do you 
suppose you could take a bag of flour to the Wil- 
ber’s, Jimmie? ” 

“ Yes, indeed,” was the answer ; “ the wheel- 
barrow is just the thing for that,” and so saying 
the bag was carefully placed in the wheelbarrow, 
and Jimmie started off. 


BUSY TIMES 


171 


The Wilbers, a notoriously shiftless family, 
lived in a dilapidated cottage on the outskirts of 
the town. The family consisted of father, mother, 
and half a dozen neglected children, of whom 
Shad was the eldest. 

If the boys asked Shad what his father did for 
a living. Shad would say at once : “ Father’s a 
lawyer and has an oflBce in Boston;” but the 
townspeople shook their heads in a mysterious 
way when the name of Jackson Wilber was men- 
tioned. 

“ Don’t know just what he does,” said Hank 
Allen’s father one day ; “ he’s not exactly a law- 
yer, near as I can figger, nor yit a justice. He’s 
somethin’ in the city, whatever it is.” 

As Jimmie Suter approached the Wilber cot- 
tage he saw two of the younger children drag- 
ging a third on what seemed to be an old blanket. 

As he drew nearer, he recognized at once the 
blanket used as the sail of his ice-boat. Evi- 
dently it had been cut off before the boat was set 
on fire. 

Jimmie’s face fiushed when he saw it and 
realized that his suspicions were justified ; it was 


172 JIMMIE 8UTER 

Shad Wilber who had committed that contempti- 
ble act. 

With another look at the telltale evidence of 
Shad’s guilt, Jimmie knocked, then opened the 
door and carried the bag of flour into the kitchen. 

When he had deposited it on the table, he said 
to Mrs. Wilber : 

Is Shad in? ” 

“ No, he’s out somewhere. I don’t know where 
he’s gone this afternoon.” 

Jimmie was on the point of blurting out his 
knowledge of Shad’s guilt, but it came to him 
all at once that he would not like to speak of it 
to the boy’s mother, so he remained silent, and 
started for the door, when it suddenly opened 
and Shad walked into the room. 

Now Jimmie Suter was the last person in the 
world that Shad Wilber expected to see in their 
kitchen, and he was so much surprised at the 
sight he could not speak, but stood there looking 
from Jimmie to his mother, a guilty expression 
on his pale, narrow features. 

Jimmie’s jest brought our flour from the 
grocer’s; he’s been askin’ for you,” said the 


BUSY TIMES 173 

woman, breaking the silence that had fallen in 
the room. 

“ Oh, workin’ for Baxter, now,’’ said Shad, in 
a relieved tone, trying to appear at ease. 

“No,” replied Jimmie quickly; “I’m just de- 
livering a few orders, that’s all.” 

Jimmie grasped his cap and once more started 
for the door. By this time Shad was quite him- 
self and sauntered after our hero, partly out of 
curiosity, to find out why Jimmie was delivering 
orders for Baxter. 

The two boys stepped outside, and as the door 
closed behind them, Jimmie turned like a fiash 
and faced the other. 

“ That’s my blanket, Shad Wilber,” he cried, 
pointing to a place about twenty yards away, 
where the children still dragged it around the 
yard ; “ It was a sail on my ice-boat. You stole 
it, and it was you burned the boat.” 

“ I did not, northin o’ the kind,” cried Shad, 
his eyes shifting uneasily under Jimmie’s steady 
gaze. 

“ Yes, you did,” declared Jimmie; “ I suspected 
you from the first, and now I have proof.” 


174 


JIMMIE SUTER 


“ I never burned your boat, I tell yer,” cried 
Shad ; “ I found that blanket up near the woods 
one day, you ’’ 

“ I don’t believe a word you say,” interrupted 
Jimmie; “ It’s my blanket.” 

“ Well mebbe it is ; I didn’t know it,” said 
Shad ; “ you can ask my brother Bert if I didn’t 
find it up there — he was with me.” 

Jimmie was getting more angry every minute; 
he knew that Shad was telling lies. With 
a look of scorn he drew himself up before the 
sneaky boy who he knew was guilty, and said 
with boyish wrath : 

“ Look here. Shad Wilber, I don’t know yet 
just what I’ll do about this thing. You cut off 
my sail and burned my ice-boat, an’ you’ll pay for 
it. But I’ll tell you one thing now, if ever I 
catch you up to any of your sneaky tricks. I’ll 
give you something you’ll not forget.” So saying, 
Jimmie walked over to where the children were 
playing, picked up his blanket, threw it in the 
wheelbarrow, and departed. 

When Jimmie returned to the store, Mr. Baxter 
informed him there Tvere no more orders. 


BUSY TIMES 175 

*‘Is there anything else you want me to do, 
sir? ” asked the lad. 

“Nothing more now, Jimmie,’’ replied the 
genial storekeeper; “and if you want any more 
cheese boxes in the future, you just come around 
and let me know.” 

“ Thank you, sir,” said Jimmie ; and on going 
outside he felt that luck was certainly with him, 
when he saw his father’s friend, Alec MacLeod, 
driving along with his double team. He gladly 
gave Jimmie a ride home and in this way our 
hero was able to take the groceries and all the 
cheese boxes at once. 


CHAPTER XVI 


A JACK-KNIFE CONTEST 

By working every spare minute, Jimmie soon 
bad the canoe well under way. He was very 
busy putting tbe last touches to it one Saturday 
just after dinner, when the boy for whom it was 
being made suddenly appeared. 

“ Your mother told me I’d find you out here,” 
said Philip Moon, his merry eyes fairly beaming 
as he gazed at the fine-looking canoe. 

“ Hello ! ” cried our hero, looking up from his 
work; “when did you arrive?” 

“ Just this minute. I thought I’d come over 
this afternoon and see how you were getting 
along.” 

“ It’s almost finished,” said Jimmie, “ but I 
think you’d better leave it for a day or two. How 
do you like it? ” 

“Oh, fine!” cried Philip; “If I could build 
anything that would go on the water like that, 
I’d hang out my shingle as a boat-builder.” 

176 



Your mother told me I’d find you out here.” — Page 176 




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A JACK-KNIFE CONTEST 


177 


“Glad you like it,” said Jimmie, “but I’ve 
been wondering where you are going to 
use it.” 

“ Oh, I’m not going to use it myself ; I want 
to send it to a cousin of mine who lives in Con- 
necticut ; there’s a shallow stream near his house, 
something like the marsh brook. Oh, he’ll be just 
wild over it, and he couldn’t make one any more 
than I can. I go down there every summer to 
visit him, so you see I’m counting on having 
some of the fun myself.” 

“ You can come over here and use mine in sum- 
mer any time you like,” said Jimmie. 

“ Thanks ; I’ll try to come over, but I’m 
planning to do a lot of things this summer and 
may not have the time to even look at you. Did 
you ever camp out, Jimmie?” 

“ No, but wouldn’t I just love to! ” 

“ So would I,” returned Philip ; “ and I’m 
going to see if I can’t manage it this summer. 
You see my father doesn’t like the idea of my go- 
ing up to Maine, although I’ve been invited to 
spend my vacation in a splendid camp up there. 
Father says if it were only a little nearer, some 


178 


JIMMIE SUTER 


place where he could look in occasionally, he 
would like it first rate.” 

“ Well, there’s your canoe,” cried Jimmie, ris- 
ing from his knees, in which position he had been 
while giving it one last touch. 

“ Say, Jimmie, think of a good name for it, 
will you? ” 

“Ah! Band Cotter’s the one for names,” re- 
turned Jimmie; “ I’ll have to write him a letter 
and ask him. You know, he’s read a great many 
books and his father has traveled all over the 
world; and Band does think of splendid names 
for things. You know he named my ice-boat the 
Ice-Comet — wasn’t that a bully name?” 

The words fell from Jimmie’s lips half re- 
gretfully. He couldn’t help it as he thought of 
his splendid ice-boat and its untimely loss. 

Philip felt something of this and said quickly : 

“ Oh, you can make another one next winter — 
probably a better one, as you’ve had a little ex- 
perience, and know more about sailing it. By 
the way, did you ever find out who did that, 
Jimmie? ” 

“ Yes : I feel sure Shad Wilber did it, though 


A JAOK-ENIFF CONTEST 


179 


I didn’t see him. I was going to make him pay 
for it, too, and had written Band about it, but 
there was a lot of trouble and sickness in the 
Wilber family, and my father and mother told 
me to do nothing about it. Mother said she 
thought Shad’s own conscience would punish him 
quite enough.” Jimmie was silent a moment and 
w^hen he spoke again it was evident he had dis- 
missed the subject from his mind. 

“ I’ll write a letter to Rand Cotter this very 
night,” remarked Jimmie, “ and let you know 
what name he thinks will be a good one. Per- 
haps I’d better keep the canoe right here and 
when I get Rand’s letter I’ll paint the name on 
it for you.” 

“ That’s good ; any name he may select will be 
sure to suit. You can make almost anything, 
can’t you, Jimmie? ” 

Oh, a few things, that’s all.” 

<< Could you use any old wheels for anything? ” 
asked Philip, presently. 

“Could I? Well you bet I could,” was the 
eager reply. “ If I had some wheels I’d make 
a buckboard.” 


180 


JIMMIE SUTEB 


“ Well I have some wheels,” said Philip ; they 
are not so old either. I’ll bring them over.” 

While the boys were still talking, there was a 
shout from somewhere back of the house, and the 
next minute several of the boys of Jim’s school 
appeared on the scene. 

“ Oh, I forgot,” said our hero, turning to Philip 
with a smile, as he caught sight of his school- 
mates; “we play Hare and Hounds this after- 
noon. You come too, and be one of us.” 

Philip was glad to join them, and Jimmie ran 
indoors to get the bag that he had prepared the 
night before, filled with tiny bits of paper. As 
one of the hares, he threw out the paper while 
he ran from the hounds. 

All the boys then repaired to the willow beside 
the marsh brook, the spot agreed upon from 
which to start. After a brief discussion it w^as 
decided to allow Philip Moon to be one of the 
hares. There was a special reason why the boys 
were all eager to be hounds that afternoon, and 
it came about in this way. 

The game of hare and hounds had been planned 
by the boys in front of Baxter’s grocery store, 


A JACK^KNIFB CONTEST 


181 


one day after school. Among the group was 
Charlie Baxter, the proprietor’s nephew, a great 
favorite with his uncle, who, having no children 
of his own, treated Charlie like a son, and was 
constantly giving the boy pleasant surprises. 
Indeed it had been predicted by more than one 
croaker in the town that “ Charlie Baxter would 
be sp’iled by his uncle.” 

Be that as it may, while the boys were talking 
over the proposed game, with Charlie’s voice the 
loudest in the group, the ruddy-faced proprietor, 
with “ specs ” pushed high on his brow and a 
merry twinkle in his eyes, appeared and listened 
to his nephew’s remarks. 

I’d like to know right here,” said the grocer, 
“ who is the best runner in the school, boys.” 

When the answer was “ Jimmie Suter,” with 
here and there a faint cry of “ Charlie — Charlie 
Baxter,” the smile on the man’s face broadened. 

“ I’ll tell you what I’ll do, boys,” he said, plac- 
ing one hand affectionately on his nephew’s 
shoulder, “ let Jimmie Suter be the hare in your 
game next Saturday and whoever is the first to 
find him inside of one hour will get this.” 


182 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


He drew from his pocket and held before the 
boys a new combination jack-knife. “ If no 
‘ hound ’ can catch the ^ hare ’ in that time, then 
Jimmie gets the knife.” 

This was the reason why every boy was 
anxious to be a ‘ hound ^ that afternoon, and 
urged Philip to be the second ‘ hare.’ 

Now Jimmie Suter, when he heard the con- 
ditions of the game, made up his mind to win 
that jack-knife if he possibly could; and he de- 
cided on a certain course of action a few days 
before the game came off, also having in mind a 
place of concealment that he thought could be 
made to baffle the “hounds.” 

When all the boys were ready the signal was 
given, and Jimmie and Philip started away like 
the wind. They were allowed a fifteen-minute 
start, and Charlie Baxter held his watch for the 
“ hounds ” the minute the “ hares ” were off. 

The boys watched the timepiece as it moved 
slowly, then all at once the leader blew a horn, 
the “ hounds ” gathered, the chase was begun. 

Past the marsh brook and dowm the woodland 
road for a hundred yards or so, ran Charlie Bax- 



Philip soon discovered that he could not keep up with 
Jimmie. — Page 183. 



A JACK-KNIFE CONTEST 


183 


ter, at the head of the “ hounds,” when, detecting 
the bits of paper lying to the left, he changed his 
course. 

On and on he ran, a few of the swiftest ones 
keeping close at his heels. Sometimes he made 
a straight run for some two hundred yards, and 
again took a zig-zag course that was puzzling in 
the extreme. 

More than once the scent” was lost alto- 
gether for a time, when suddenly it would be 
found again by the bits of white paper, and with 
shouts the “ hounds ” hurried on. 

In the meantime a peculiar thing had hap- 
pened. Philip soon discovered he could not keep 
up with Jimmie and therefore, knowing about 
the jack-knife and feeling that he might handi- 
cap his friend, he gave up the race after a half 
hour’s run, and let Jimmie go it alone. 

Our hero did not wait for explanations. He 
kept steadily on, throwing out a handful of 
paper now and then, changing his course at 
times, but keeping in view a certain spot where 
he intended to hide. 

The ‘‘ hounds ” soon overtook Philip Moon and 


184 


JIMMIE SUTER 


this incident only added zest to the keen sport of 
hunting Jimmie, for Jimmie Suter was a run- 
ner, but Charlie Baxter was considered by many 
to be equally as good. 

It was getting more exciting as the hunt con- 
tinued, and when at last Charlie found himself 
“ hot on the trail,” as he believed he was, he ran 
harder than ever, looking to the right and left, 
peering behind bushes, trying in every way to 
catch his “ hare.” 

While the ‘‘ hounds ” were “ hard on the 
scent,” our hero had reached his hiding place. 
This was a huge, flat stone, part of a rocky wall, 
that projected in such a way that one could easily 
lie flat under it, not however, without being seen 
by a close observer. To obviate this difficulty, 
Jimmie, clever boy that he was, had visited the 
spot the day before the game and dug a hole in 
front of the stone. Beside this hole he placed 
a bush that he had cut from the very center of a 
clump of bushes nearby, and as a further pre- 
caution, he had in readiness a good-sized stone. 

When the hunted “hare” reached the flat 
stone, he dropped on his stomach like a flash. 


'A JACKKmFE CONTEST 


185 


and crawled under. Then he placed the bush in 
the hole he had made, threw the earth around 
it, as fast as nimble hands could do it, and lastly, 
to hide the fresh earth, he placed the good-sized 
stone near the bush. 

It looked natural, so much so that one would 
not suppose that a person could get under that 
wall without tearing aside the bush. 

But Jimmie had hardly got the stone arranged 
carelessly in place when Charlie Baxter appeared 
on the scene, and our hero, lying flat on his 
stomach, drew in his hand and awaited develop- 
ments. 

Charlie rooted like an Indian. He went around 
the clump of bushes not far from Jimmie’s re- 
treat, a dozen times. He glanced casually at the 
rocky wall, but as no one could get under the 
flat projection without pulling down a great 
bush, and a stone, he did not investigate. At 
last he hurried back a few yards to look over the 
scent, while Jimmie Suter rubbed his nose with 
satisfaction. 

Thus far his ruse had worked well. All at 
once Charlie bounded upon the scene again, fol- 


186 JIMMIE SUTEB 

lowed by half a dozen others. They took a hur- 
ried survey of the immediate vicinity of Jimmie’s 
retreat and then ran on, hoping to come across 
some bits of paper. 

The “ hare,” concealed in his hiding place, 
watched their movements with much interest, 
well pleased thus far with the proceeding. He 
knew it must be almost an hour since he started. 
If only he could escape Charlie Baxter a little 
while longer he felt that he should win. 

But again the “hounds” appeared with a 
shout that made Jimmie suspect they had dis- 
covered the limit of his race. 

Again there was a hurry and scurry over the 
field all about him, over the very rocky wall under 
which he was hiding. Once more the bushes 
w^ere searched wdth ruthless hands, w^hen all at 
once Hank Allen dropped on his stomach and 
peered under the projecting stone. With a shout 
he jumped to his feet, holding to the transplanted 
bush with such force that he pulled it up, and 
fell backwards, just escaping the good-sized 
stone. 

Then Jimmie Suter crawled out of his lair 


A JACK-KNIFB CONTEST 


187 


with a grin from ear to ear, while the boys gave 
a yell, when they saw how cleverly he had fooled 
them. 

“ Well, you win, Jimmie,” cried Charlie Bax- 
ter. “ When Hank spied you it w^as five minutes 
past the hour.” 

This ended the game of “hare and hounds,” 
played to suit the occasion, and Jimmie rejoiced 
over a fine new jack-knife that he had won by 
planning ahead. 


CHAPTER XVII 


SUNNYVIEW GAMES 

The next day Jimmie wrote a letter to Rand 
Cotter asking him to think of a good name for 
Philip Moon’s canoe. Incidentally, he told his 
friend in Boston about winning the jack-knife 
and about other affairs at Sunnyview. 

The following Saturday, Jimmie looked for- 
ward to another visit from Philip, and he was 
not disappointed. Very early in the day the boy 
from North wood drove up to the door with an 
old team that his father had borrowed from a 
neighbor in order that the canoe niight be trans- 
ported in safety. 

“ It’s such a beauty,” cried Philip, when the 
two boys stood before the canoe, “ that I’m half 
tempted to keep it ; but I think after all I ought 
to send it to my cousin.” 

“ How do you like the name? ” asked Jimmie, 
turning it around so that Philip could see. 


SUNNYVIEW GAMES 


189 


“ The PMlomonda” read the owner, smiling ; 
“ what does it mean? ” 

“ I think it means, or rather stands for Philip 
Moon,” said Jimmie, taking a letter from his 
pocket. ‘‘Here’s what Rand says about it; you 
can read for yourself,” he added, handing the 
letter to Philip, who read : 

“ Dear Jimmie — I have been thinking of a 
name for the new canoe. How does Philomonda 
strike you? I made it out of the two names 
Philip and Moon, but if you don’t like it, try an 
Indian name. ‘ Keewayden ’ is pretty — it means 
‘ the south wind,’ and there are a great many 
other fine ones. I wish I could see both you boys 
again — the planter and the builder I call you. 
You will be surprised to hear that I have gone 
back to school. I was feeling so well that father 
thought I could. There are several clubs formed 
in my school to help the work of the S. F. B. I 
supply all the badges, etc., and the boys think 
it is a fine scheme. 

“ By the way, the S. F. B. is becoming famous. 
I got a splendid letter from a man away out in 


190 


JIMMIE SUTER 


California, who has made a study of the birds 
of this country. He is very much pleased with 
our S. F. B. and says he hopes to meet me some 
time — now I think he means you, because you 
thought of it first of all. I am going to write 
and tell him all about you, that you have a head 
just full of plans, and some Saturday I am going 
to try and have all the captains of the out-of- 
town clubs meet the city boys. 

“We might arrange to have a big meeting on 
Boston Common, or the Public Garden, and have 
a great time. 

“ Looking forward to summer and Sunnyview 
and you. I am 

“ Your friend, 

“ Rand.” 


“ The S. F. B. is a great society,” cried Philip, 
returning the letter to Jimmie; “and is going to 
grow larger all the time, I feel sure. I think 
Philomonda is a dandy name for the canoe ” 
Suddenly Philip ran to the wagon and brought 
out four wheels that looked as if they had done 
service at one time on a baby carriage. 


SUNNYVIEW GAMES 


191 


“ I had almost forgotten about these,” he said ; 
“what do you think of them? ” 

“They are just what I want,” cried Jimmie; 
“ I’ll make a huckhoard and we can have some 
fun one of these fine days, wheeling down Sunset 
Hill. This afternoon,” he continued, “ we play 
games. You’ll stay, won’t you, and see the fun? ” 
“ I can’t stay, though I’d like to,” said Philip. 
“ I told my father I would be home just as soon 
as I possibly could; he wants me to go to Belle- 
view this afternoon. I really ought to start at 
once.” 

“ Very well,” said Jimmie; “ just take hold of 
one end of the canoe and I’ll help you lift it into 
the wagon.” 

“Now, how about the price, Jimmie? How 
much do I owe you for the Philomonda? ” 

“ Nothing at all, Philip ; I didn’t have to pay 
for the cheese boxes ; in fact I didn’t have to spend 
any money for a thing that went into it.” 

“ But that’s only a small part of it, Jimmie ; 
although I couldn’t build one myself, I know 
how much time and labor it takes to put one of 
those things together.” 


192 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


“ Oh, the time didn’t amount to anything ; it 
was all done in spare minutes, and I really en- 
joyed doing it,” said the builder. 

The two friends argued, but Jimmie was 
firm and would not take any money for the 
canoe. 

“All right,” said Philip; “I’ll get even with 
you, Jimmie; just leave it to me and see.” 

When the canoe was carefully placed in the 
wagon, Philip mounted the seat, and with a 
merry good-by and a wave of his hand, started 
for home. 

Jimmie returned to his work bench and ex- 
amined the wheels; then he put away his tools, 
cleaned up the shed and went indoors. 

He still had a little time before dinner, so he 
decided to do his “ blacking.” It was part of 
Jimmie’s work every Saturday to black all the 
shoes in the house for Sunday, and when they 
were all shining, to place them in a row on the 
bench under the window. 

Our hero went to work with a will and in a 
short time his task was completed. He filled a 
tub of water for his mother, chopped some wood. 


SUNNYVIEW GAMES 193 

and shortly after dinner started for the scene of 
the afternoon’s sport. 

The boys usually met and played their games 
in a large level field about half-way to the village. 

As Jimmie approached, whistling a lively 
tune, those already assembled set up a general 
shout, and in a few minutes the fun began. 

It started off with a running high jump. 

Two stakes about four feet apart had been 
driven into the ground and a light stick placed 
across them. Standing far enough away to get 
a good start, the boys tried to take a fiying jump 
over the stick, which was raised from time to 
time, making the jump a little higher.' 

Hank Allen was easily the winner in a run- 
ning high jump; his long slender legs went over 
the pole as easily and gracefully as a deer’s. 

They then prepared for the climbing act, 
which many of the boys liked better than any- 
thing else. 

A stout rope was securely fastened around the 
bough of a chestnut tree and allowed to dangle 
to the ground. 

The boys took turns in climbing the swinging 


194 


JIMMIE SUTER 


rope, landing on the bough of the tree, creeping 
thence to the trunk, where they shinned down 
as quickly as possible and began all over again. 

Everything was done in the shortest possible 
time, as half the fun lay in rushing the game. 
The line of boys, one behind the other, climbing, 
creeping and sliding down, made one think of a 
group of frolicsome monkeys. 

Every time Hank Allen’s long legs dangled 
around the loose rope the boys roared with laugh- 
ter and could not resist the temptation to prod 
him and pull on the rope ; but Hank kicked vigor- 
ously, using his long legs to good advantage, and 
in spite of difficulties, managed to climb the rope, 
feel his way along the bough and, placing his 
long limbs around the trunk of the tree, shinned 
down easier than most of them. 

Jimmie Suter could climb a rope very fast; 
indeed there was no boy in the school quite so 
quick with his hands and legs as he. 

When they had grown tired of the climbing, 
the boys tried several races between given points. 

The race was usually given to Charlie Baxter 
or Jimmie Suter, both of whom were splendid 


8UNNYVIEW GAMES 


195 


runners; but although Jimmie could run faster 
than his rival, when it came to a walking match, 
Charlie could win over Jimmie every time. 

Feats of strength followed, and ended the 
afternoon games. These consisted, for the most 
part in throwing heavy stones; and in this con- 
test our hero was first, as no boy in the school 
seemed to possess so much muscular power. 

When the sport was over and the boys had 
started for home, Jimmie hurried on his way, 
planning as he went along how he would use the 
wheels that Philip had given him. 

. In the midst of these thoughts, he reached the 
main road and saw Ben Ridgeway approaching 
with his team. 

As Ben came up, he stopped his horse and 
peered at the boy from under his bushy eye- 
brows. 

“I’ve just been up to your house, Jimmie, to 
see if your folks didn’t want to buy my hens.” 

“ Are you going to sell your hens? ” asked the 
boy, surprised at this piece of information. 

“Well, I’m thinkin’ of it, jest thinkin’ of it. 
Your father wasn’t at home,” he continued, after 


196 


JIMMIE SUTER 


a pause, “ and your mother thinks yer don’t want 
any at the present time.” 

^^Alec MacLeod might buy them,” ventured 
Jimmie, trying to help out. 

The old man did not answer. With eyes fixed 
on the reins, held loosely in his rough hand, he 
seemed to have fallen into a brown study. 

Jimmie watched him intently, wondering why 
Ben did not speak. 

At last the old man raised his head and re- 
garded the boy keenly. 

“ How long a vacation do you have in the sum- 
mer, Jimmie — the school vacation I mean? ” 

“We have about eleven weeks, sir.” 

“ Eleven weeks,” repeated Ben ; “ it’s a good 
long time.” 

He w^as silent for a moment and then added 
half to himself: “And it would come in jest 
right too.” 

“ Jimmie,” and he raised his voice to a louder 
key, “ I have a proposition to make to you ; but I 
guess I won’t say anything to-day. Some time 
later I’ll have a talk with your father and — and 
— well, guess that’s all I better say ’bout it now.” 


SUNNYVIEW GAMES 


197 


With a short “ Giddep,” Ben continued on his 
way, leaving Jimmie very much puzzled by the 
old man’s words and manner. 

At supper that evening, Jimmie spoke of the 
occurrence, whereupon his father said: 

“ Well, there’s no knowing what the old man 
has in mind. Since I’ve been up there, making 
his new house, I’ve seen a good deal of his odd 
ways, but Ben is a shrewd, smart man, and he 
has method in all he does.” 

Suddenly a smile broke over the man’s face 
and he added : 

“ He told me he thought o’ building a couple 
of sheds up there himself. P’r’aps he’s decided 
to ask you to do the job.” 


CHAPTER XVIII 

THE COMING OF SPRING 

The following week Jimmie spent all his spare 
time making the buckboard. It was finished one 
bright morning and our hero, with little brother 
Tod, had great sport riding down Sunset Hill. 

It was several weeks before Philip Moon paid 
the promised visit to Sunnyview, but when he 
did come, he, too, enjoyed the fun and admired 
Jimmie as a builder more than ever. 

The days sped on, nothing unusual happening 
in the daily routine of Jimmie’s life. He w^ent 
to school every day, did his chores about the 
house, and played games on Saturday and some- 
times after school. Occasionally he read a boy’s 
book that Rand had enjoyed particularly and 
had sent to Sunnyview. He speculated on the 
hero of the story and put himself in the hero’s 
position many times. 

As the weeks went by, Jimmie began to look 
forward to the April vacation. It was almost 


THE COMING OF SPRING 199 


at hand ; the fine weather had really come and he 
longed for the Spring holidays. 

One morning as Jimmie went on his way to 
school, he realized that on all sides were signs of 
Spring. Every tiny bud on bush and tree was 
unfolding day by day in the warm sunshine. 

Perhaps the happiest messengers of the ap- 
proaching season were the birds that filled the 
fields and woods of Sunnyview with their music. 

Jimmie could not look out of his window that 
he did not see a fat robin, or rather two of them ; 
and yet only a few weeks before he had seen the 
first lonely robin perched on the fence, watching 
a snowfall, as much as to say, “ IVe come a little 
too early, and I may have to go back.” 

But now the joy of another summer was close 
at hand ! The fresh moist earth, the new grass, 
the sight of all growing things, proclaimed new 
life everywhere, and Jimmie felt it was good to 
be alive ! 

It was good to be alive and best of all to be a 
boy ! He whistled as never before from very joy 
of being, and then he began to plan for the 
future. 


200 


JIMMIE SUTER 


What wonderful things a boy can plan for that 
longed-for, interesting time! I am not at all 
sure that our hero’s plans were anything out of 
the ordinary, because he was one of the practical 
ones, who do the simple things that come every 
day and leave the wonderful deeds for the 
dreamers. 

We need both kinds of men, so I will not con- 
demn the dreamers; but, practical though he 
was, there was something in the air this Spring 
morning, some subtle influence of bird and bush, 
that made itself felt in him in a wild longing to 
run away from the little schoolhouse and 
wander far off into the woods. To sit beside the 
little brook back of the pines and watch the 
shadowy water. As the thought flitted through 
the boy’s mind, he turned suddenly and looked 
about him. Not a soul was in sight. Before 
him was the road to the schoolhouse — to a long, 
dreary day, with endless reading, writing, and 
numbers, a hard desk, a straight-backed chair, 
and a teacher ever on the alert to see that each 
one was busy — while back there on his right were 
the fresh, green woods, the brook and the pines. 


THE COMING OF SPRING 201 


where he could wander about at will and do as 
he pleased, with no disagreeable lessons, and 
never a teacher to watch him. 

For the first time in his life, the desire to play 
truant came to him with all the force of a strong 
temptation. He was really tired of school, and 
it was a shame (so he argued to himself) to have 
to stay in a stuffy little schoolroom on such a 
beautiful day, when everything seemed to urge 
freedom and happiness out of doors. 

Jimmie’s steps began to lag perceptibly. No 
one would know anything about it ; and he would 
have a splendid time! Suddenly he spied a 
figure just ahead that he recognized at once as 
that of Shad Wilber. Shad’s steps were lagging 
too, and he was taking the very road that led to 
the woods. 

The sight brought Jimmie to a full stop. 

Perhaps Shad was going to play truant; but, 
no, even as he looked. Shad retraced his steps 
and went toward the schoolhouse. 

Shad Wilber was one of the boys who did 
^‘hook jack” occasionally, and as this thought 
came to Jimmie, something of the meanness of 


202 JIMMIE SUTER 

it all crossed his mind. Then he looked at it 
squarely in the face. His father and mother had 
sent him to school. It was his duty to go, and 
they trusted him to perform that duty. He could 
shirk it, sneak off to the woods, and no one would 
know. No one? Ah, yes; there was One who 
saw every-^ct and knew his every thought. 

The inner voice of conscience told Jimmie that 
playing truant was not an honest thing to do. 
On the contrary, every minute of the time that 
he spent so, he was acting a lie, and a lie is al- 
ways the coward’s part. 

Jimmie could never be a coward. He would 
not play truant and he put tho temptation out of . 
his mind at once, feeling heartily ashamed that 
he had even thought of such a thing. 

With sudden energy, he started to walk briskly, 
and in a short time was in the school yard. 

The first person to greet him was Shad Wilber. 
“ Say, Jimmie, d’yer hear the news about the 
baseball outfit? ” 

Before he could answer a dozen boys sur- 
rounded him, all talking at once. Jimmie caught 
a word here and there about “baseball outfit,” 


THE COMIHQ OF SPRING 203 


Indian ” and “ beans,” but he didn’t have the 
least idea what it all meant. 

What are you talking about, I’d like to 
know? ” shouted Jimmie. 

“ Why, haven’t you heard about the prize? ” 
began Hank Allen. “ Haven’t you ” 

“No,” interrupted Jimmie; “ I haven’t heard 
a word.” 

Hank whistled. 

“There’s a new show coming to town next 
week, and the proprietor is going to give a prize 
of a complete baseball outfit to the boy that 
guesses the nearest to the number of beans in a 
bottle.” 

At this point the bell rang, and the boys got 
in line to file into school. At recess, however, 
the new show and the guessing contest w^ere the 
chief topics of conversation. 

That afternoon when school was over, Jimmie 
had an errand to do for his mother in the dry- 
goods store. While waiting for his change, he 
saw Ben Eidgeway coming down the road, be- 
hind the old white horse. 

It was the boy’s first glimpse of the man since 


204 


JIMMIE SUTER 


the day his curiosity had been aroused by the 
conversation on the roadside. 

Ben stopped his horse in front of the dry- 
goods store and was just about to enter it, as 
Jimmie was leaving. 

Hello, Jimmie,” he said kindly, and held 
out his hand. 

Our hero greeted the old man pleasantly and 
took the proffered hand. 

It was a very uncommon thing for Ben to 
shake hands with anybody, much less to greet 
a boy in that way, and Jimmie was puzzled; but 
the old man stood there, smiling, eyeing him 
narrowly, under the bushy eyebrows. 

It suddenly occurred to the boy that Ben was 
looking remarkably well and wore better clothes 
than usual. 

Have yer thought about what I told yer? ” 
said Ben in a loud whisper, bending toward the 
boy. 

Without waiting for an answer, he opened the 
door of the drygoods store. 

‘‘ Don’t forget, Jimmie, don’t forget,” he whis- 
pered, and went into the store, leaving our hero 


THE COMING OF SPRING 205 


more puzzled than ever, by the air of mystery 
that accompanied the words. 

When Jimmie told his father about it that 
evening, the man smiled, but he, too, w’as at a 
loss to know the meaning of Ben’s words. 

I don’t know what to make of the old man 
lately,” said Jimmie’s father. ‘‘ I met him one 
day last week and he talked for twenty minutes 
about almost nothing, seemed as if he was trying 
to think up things to keep me a-talkin’. He told 
me he had sold his hens, all but a few, and he 
asked me what I intended to do with Jimmie this 
summer, and a lot o’ useless questions. And all 
the time he was in great good humor, same as 
if he had something on his mind that he was try- 
ing hard to keep. He’s not the snarling Ben he 
used to be, I can tell you.” 

“Poor old man,” ventured Jimmie’s mother; 
“perhaps that fire upset him and his mind is 
affected.” 

“Not a bit of it, mother,” said John Suter 
quickly ; “ I’d say he was losing his mind, too, 
if I didn’t know him to drive the shrewdest bar- 
gain I ever heard of, with Alec MacLeod only 


206 


JIMMIE 8VTER 


day before yesterday. Oh, there’s nothing wrong 
with Ben. He’s probably hatching some big 
scheme.” 

Jimmie dismissed the subject from his mind. 
Indeed there were other matters of far more 
importance that took up his attention, among 
them the following notice: 

HASTEN! HURRY!! HIKE!!! 

Come and See Professor Steptoe. 

The Seventh Son of Big Moose Man. 

A Full-blooded Indian Chief of the Onondaga 
Tribe. 

See his wonderful manifestations of black art. 

Witness with your own eyes his marvelous 
power to heal the sick. 

Science and the medical world stand aghast 
at Professor Steptoe’s power to heal. 

All is done by the aid of his own herb medi- 
cine : — 

Steptoe’s Spring Tonic. 

Every man, woman and child can secure a 


THE COMING OF SPRING 207 


bottle of Steptoe’s Spring Tonic for a merely 
nominal price. 

For one afternoon and one night only, will 
the people have the opportunity to see the Pro- 
fessor at the big tent to the left of Cedar Eoad. 

Admission to the evening performance 15 
cents. Read special notice to the youth of this 
town. 

At the afternoon performance, Professor Step- 
toe will exhibit a bottle of beans. The boy who 
makes the nearest guess as to the correct number 
of beans in the bottle, will receive a prize of a 
complete baseball outfit. 

Admission to the children’s performance only 
10 cents. 

Begins at 2 sharp. 

Jimmie had been standing in front of the above 
flaring poster reading with wide-eyed interest 
when someone nudged him in the elbow and he 
turned to meet Hank Allen. 

Are you going to try for the baseball outfit, 
Jimmie? ” he asked, with a broad grin, his hands 
thrust deep in his pockets. 


208 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


‘‘Td like to win it; wouldn’t you?” laughed 
Jimmie. 

Hank nodded. “ I only wish I could raise the 
money to go to the show. Shad Wilber and I 
picked a lot o’ rags and old nails, but the most 
we could raise on ’em was seven cents.” 

Jimmie was silent a minute and studied the 
poster again. Suddenly he turned to Hank and 
said with a smile: 

“ Let’s see, the Indian show doesn’t come here 
till next Friday ; that will be during our vacation. 
Now, why couldn’t you and I and some of the 
boys get up a show ourselves, and charge two 
cents admission. We’ll have ours before the big 
Indian gets ’round.” 

Hank’s grin disappeared, and an expression of 
the keenest interest spread over his good-natured 
countenance. 

Do yer think we could, Jimmie? ” 

‘‘ Of course we could ; we’d do a few tricks and 
sing, and things like that, and divide the money.” 

Where’d we have it, Jimmie? ” 

Well, I was just thinking if Charlie Baxter’s 
folks would let him have it in his barn ; it would 


THE COMING OF SPRING 209 

be just the place — lots of room and easy to get at 
things.” 

“ Let’s go up there now and ask him,” cried 
Hank, eagerly. 

They started at once, but were spared the 
trouble of going to Charlie’s house by meeting 
him on the way, and immediately they unfolded 
the great plan to give a show in the barn and 
divide the profits. 

Charlie was delighted with the scheme. He 
was certain he could have the use of the barn, 
and immediately began to suggest a programme. 

“ There’ll be you and Hank and me,” he cried, 
turning to the originator of the show ; we’ll all 
act, and then let’s ask Johnny Moor — ^you know 
Johnny can make awful funny faces, he can 
nearly swallow his nose, and he can wiggle both 
ears.” 

“ Good ! ” cried Jimmie ; “ he can act the funny 
parts fine, and I believe I’ll wTite to Philip Moon 
and ask him over to help.” 

“ Now we’ll see what each one can act,” said 
Charlie. In the first place Hank can give an 
exhibition of jumping.” 


210 


JIMMIE SVTER 


“The very thing! ” cried Jimmie; “ we’ll have 
some hoops covered with paper and Hank can 
dive right through them; that will make it sort, 
of interesting, and there’ll be more fun in it than 
just plain jumping.” 

“ I have an idea,” said Charlie; “ they are just 
taking out those cloth windows from my uncle’s 
new house, before they put in the glass windows, 
you know; now I’ll get five or six of those win- 
dows and some charcoal and draw funny pic- 
tures.” 

“ That’s good ! ” cried Jimmie, with enthusi- 
asm. It was well known that Charlie had a 
natural talent for drawing, and his plan ap- 
pealed to the boys at once. 

“ We’ll make Johnny Moor sing a song with 
funny faces,” said Charlie. “ Now, Jimmie, 
what will you do? ” 

“ I might whistle and stand on my head. 
Yes, I can walk a few steps on my hands.” 

“ That’ll do,” said Charlie, in a business-like 
way, then turned to Hank, who had stood there 
grinning in open-mouthed wonder at the talents 
displayed by the local stage manager. 


THE COMING OF SPRING 211 


“ What’ll you do besides jump, Hank? ” 

“ Don’t know — might sing on a pinch, 1 
s’pose,” ventured Hank. 

“Ah-h-h! you can’t sing any more ’n a tom- 
cat,” cried Charlie. “ Think o’ something else.” 

“ Why not have one act where we’ll all sing to- 
gether,” suggested Jimmie. 

“Just what we’ll do,” said Charlie; and after 
a few more details the boys separated, having 
agreed to hold a meeting and a rehearsal the 
next day. 

When Jimmie Suter reached home, he took 
several different-sized bottles and filled them 
with beans. Having done this, he sat down delib- 
erately and proceeded to count the contents of 
each bottle. 

It would give him an idea of the number of 
beans that might be put in ordinary bottles. He 
meant to try for the baseball outfit, if his 
mother would give him permission to attend 
the show. 

That night he wrote a letter to Philip Moon 
telling him about the big Indian show and the 
boys’ affair in Charlie Baxter’s barn, inviting 


212 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


Philip to take part, and thus help out. He was 
urged to attend the rehearsal, if possible. 

Jimmie went to bed that night well pleased 
with the plans for the following week, the first 
week of April, and no school for ten days. 


CHAPTER XIX 

THE SHOW BUSINESS 

The following Tuesday afternoon, most of the 
boys and girls of Sunnyview could be seen wend- 
ing their way to Charlie Baxter’s. 

The barn door had been opened just wide 
enough to allow Jimmie Suter to fill the space. 
He acted as doorkeeper and took the money. As 
each one paid his admission fee of two cents, 
Jimmie put the money in his pocket and stepped 
aside to allow the patron to enter. 

When safely inside, Charlie Baxter, as chief 
usher, showed each one to a seat in front of a 
temporary stage, which was hidden from view 
by a Japanese curtain that could be raised or 
lowered at will. 

When the audience was all seated, the curtain 
was raised, showing a window frame covered 
with cloth, arranged on a chair, easel-fashion. 

A babble of voices and loud applause that 
greeted this scene ceased when Philip Moon 

213 


214 JIMMIE EUTER 

stepped to the center of the stage and began to 
speak. 

Philip was a stranger to most of the boys and 
girls, and on this account was regarded with 
curiosity, and a certain amount of respect. 

There was no knowing what feats he might 
perform, therefore they were silent and waited; 
but he merely made a low bow, and' with his 
winning smile announced; ^‘The first thing 
weTl show you at this performance will be some 
wonderful charcoal sketches by ^ Professor 
Markem.^ 

When Philip had disappeared behind a door 
that had been borrowed, and which served the 
purpose of stage exit, Charlie Baxter stepped on 
the stage, wearing false whiskers, very black 
and bushy, and a red handkerchief, knotted at 
the corners and twisted around his head. 

The applause that greeted Charlie was deafen- 
ing. Shouts and cheers rang through the barn, 
but “ Professor Markem,” apparently oblivious 
of it all, made his bow, and, with a fiourish of his 
charcoal, began to sketch a funny face on the 
cloth window. 


THE SHOW BUSINESS 


215 


The hum of voices ceased as the audience 
watched Charlie’s deft fingers making the pic- 
ture. When it was finished to Charlie’s satisfac- 
tion, he stepped aside, so that they might have a 
better view of the drawing. Having waited a 
second, he put this picture aside and placed an- 
other window on the chair, while all the time the 
shouts of approval and clapping of hands made 
a tremendous noise. 

Then Charlie, or rather “ Professor Markem,” 
sketched the outlines of a donkey, to the delight 
of his audience, and afterwards added a rooster 
on the donkey’s back, in the act of crowing. 

His fourth and last sketch was that of a very 
fat baby with his fist in his mouth, looking as if 
he was crying lustily for “ marmer.” 

When this was removed, Philip Moon once 
more appeared on the stage, and announced that 
Professor Markem’s ” drawings would be fol- 
lowed by an exhibition given by “ Daddy Long 
Legs.” 

For a moment there was silence, everybody 
wondering what he could mean ; but when Hank 
Allen, with his long arms and legs shuffled onto 


216 


JIMMIE SUTER 


the stage, there was one prolonged yell. In fact 
it was so prolonged that Philip Moon had to re- 
appear and strike three times for order. He 
requested his audience, politely but firmly, to 
stop the shouting and allow Hank to proceed. 
At the last word he produced a hoop covered 
with paper, and held it at arm’s length. Quiet 
was restored at the sight and Hank made a dive 
head first through the paper hoop. 

Then another hoop was held horizontally and 

Daddy Long Legs” jumped, landing on his 
feet. Again a hoop was placed between two 
chairs and Hank, after jumping into it, walked 
off the stage with the paper hoop around his 
waist. 

Jimmie Suter appeared next and he received 
a tremendous ovation. He stood on his head and 
walked a short distance on his hands, which 
act called forth the wildest approval from the 
small boys; but when he tried to warble after 
this exhibition, he was rather short of breath 
and the curtain was lowered for an intermis- 
sion. 

Again the applause became so noisy that the 


THE SHOW BUSINESS 217 

curtain was raised and Philip suddenly appeared 
holding a small bottle filled with beans. 

“Now/^ said Philip, “who ever guesses the 
correct number of beans in this bottle, or the 
nearest to it, gets a prize. Jimmie Suter has 
counted them. Come, now, who is ready? ” 

“ I guess forty,” said a little boy in the front 
row with a grin on his childish face. 

He was greeted with hisses and cries of “ better 
learn to count ; ” “ make him eat forty ; ” etc., etc. 

“ I guess three hundred and fifty,” cried Susie 
Hibbard, jumping to her feet. 

“ I guess four hundred,” came from Minnie 
Day. 

“Two hundred, I guess two hundred,” cried 
Willie Burns. 

“ Willie gets the prize,” said Philip. “ There’s 
just two hundred and fifteen beans in that 
bottle.” 

All eyes were riveted on Willie, as he walked 
up for the prize, which was neatly tied up in 
brown paper. 

“ Open it, Willie, open it,” cried the audience, 
impatiently. 


218 


JIMMIE SUTER 


Willie, his face one broad smile, began to untie 
the package, and when at last after various 
papers had been removed he drew forth a Frank- 
furt sausage, a yell went up from every boy pres- 
ent, and pandemonium reigned in the barn. 

Philip Moon presented the bottle of beans to 
Wdlie, and the “ show ” continued. 

But the bean contest was the one great mistake 
of the affair, as the “actors” afterwards ad- 
mitted. 

There was something about the bottle of beans 
and the Frankfurt that lessened the dignity of 
the whole performance. The boys refused to take 
the rest of the show seriously. 

In vain the actors appeared in line and sang 
a verse of “ Dixie.” When Johnny Moor began 
to make funny faces and wiggle his ears, as he 
had been told to, beans were flying in all direc- 
tions. The actors were kept busy dodging the 
beans. Charlie Baxter got “ mad ” and shook his 
fist at the audience. He tried to speak ; when a 
piece of sausage, sent flying over the heads of the 
audience, landed squarely in his mouth. Roars 
of laughter followed, with cheers and shouts of 


THE SHOW BUSINESS 


219 


derision, which made the very rafters tremble. 
The girls, headed by Susie Hibbard, deeply of- 
fended at this turn of affairs, started to leave the 
barn, but they were obliged to dodge beans and 
pieces of sausage, so they took their seats again 
for safety. 

Jimmie Suter was the first to realize that the 
affair was spoiled, and the only thing to do w^as 
to make the best of it. He whispered his thoughts 
to the others and the next minute the actors 
laughed with the audience, jumped from the 
stage and joined in the fun. 

The barn door was opened wide and the crowd 
of hooting, yelling boys pitched (some of them 
head foremost) into the yard. The show was 
over. 

When the money was counted, the boys found 
they had sixty cents, w^hich was divided equally 
among the “actors”; and Hank Allen was joy- 
ful beyond expression, because he had made 
enough money to go to the big Indian show on 
Friday. 

Although a little disappointed in the way the 
show turned out at the end, they were highly 


220 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


pleased with it as a whole, and determined to 
have one again some time, omitting the bean 
contest. 

It is no new thing for boys of a certain age to 
get up a “ show.” In every neighborhood where 
there are live boys the plan to have a “ show ” 
comes sooner or later. 

There is always an actor in embryo, a local 
stage manager, and a celebrity of some kind, to 
call into play. The show is planned days, and 
sometimes weeks, ahead, is finally put on the 
boards amid great rejoicing; and then passes 
away like the day before yesterday. 

But the remembrance of many a “ show ” is 
carried far into the years and causes a smile and 
a bit of heartache, too, when other boyish pranks 
are quite forgotten. 

In one of his inimitable touches of boy-life, our 
beloved “ Hoosier Poet,” brings out the real 
“ show ” spirit : 


“ Wasn’t it a good time 
Long time ago 

When we all were little tads 
And first played ‘ show ’ — 


THE SHOW BUSINESS 


221 


When every newer day 
Wore as bright a glow 
As the ones we laughed away — 
Long time ago! 

“Calf was in the back-lot 
Clover in the red; 

Blue bird in the pear-tree; 

Pigeons on the shed ; 

Tom a-chargin’ twenty pins 
At the barn ; and Dan 
Spraddled out just like ‘The 
Injarubber-man’ ! 

“ Me and Bub and Rusty 

Eck and Dunk and Sid 
‘Tumblin’ on the saw-dust 
Like the A-rabs did; 

Jamesy on the slack-rope 
In a wild retreat 
Grappling back to start again 
When he chalked his feet! 

“ Wasn’t Eck a wonder 

In his stocking tights? 

Wasn’t Dunk — his leaping lion— 
Chief of all delights? 

Yes, and wasn’t ‘ Little Mack ’ 

Boss of all the show — 

Both Old Clown and Candy-Butcher 
Long time ago. 


222 


JIMMIE SUTER 


“ Sid the Bareback-Rider ; 

And — oh-me — oh-my ! — 

But, the spruce Ringmaster, 

Stepping round so spry ! — 

In his little waist and trousers 
All made in one 
Was there a prouder youngster 
Under the sun ! 

“And now — who will tell me, — 

Where are they all? 

Dunk’s a sanatorium doctor 
Up at Waterfall ; 

Sid’s a city street-contractor; 

Tom has fifty clerks. 

And Jamesy he’s the ‘Iron Magnate’ 

Of ‘ The Hecla Works.’ 

“And Bub’s old and bald now 
Yet still he hangs on, 

Dan and Eck and ‘ Little Mack ’ 

Long, long gone! 

But wasn’t it a good time 
Long time ago, 

When we ail were little tads 
And first played ‘ show.’ ’’ 

But to return to the “ Show business ! 

The day before the Indian exhibition took 
place, Jimmie Suter spent a good part of the 


THE SHOW BUSINESS 


223 


morning counting the contents of various-sized 
bottles, filled with beans. When he had finished 
his tedious task, he felt in a measure, that he was 
fairly competent to pass judgment on the number 
of beans in any ordinary bottle. 

He called in to see Charlie Baxter, on his way 
home from the postoffice that afternoon, and 
found Charlie sitting on the barn floor, Turkish 
fashion, with at least a dozen bottles of different 
sizes before him, also counting beans. 

Jimmie decided with a grin that he would not 
disturb Charlie’s mathematical calculations, and 
sought Hank Allen, only to find Hank on the 
back porch, deep in the bean and bottle problem. 

It is safe to assume that every boy in Sunny- 
view that afternoon, who could count his ten 
fingers, had a bottle of beans in front of him, 
with visions of a good Indian hovering in the 
background, dispensing baseball outfits. ' 

But the day came at last, that ushered in the 
big show. It is not my purpose in this chapter 
to tell you about Professor Steptoe’s wonderful 
performance. 

The town turned out in goodly numbers. 


224 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


to witness the black art tricks, and to listen 
(which was by far the main part of the show) 
to the flowery eloquence of the Professor, in de- 
scribing the wonderful powers of Steptoe’s 
Spring Tonic. 

Many of the worthy people (by parting with a 
little good money) were “ made a present ’’ of the 
almost miraculous bottle. Who would refuse 
such a gift? A bottle that was guaranteed to 
cure all the ills to which flesh is heir, beside a 
few that might happen in an electrical age ! 

At the close of the children’s performance, the 
Professor brought out an immense glass cylinder 
fllled with beans. 

The boys were taken aback when they saw it. 
They expected an ordinary-sized bottle, and the 
great glass cylinder upset all their calculations. 

When the guessing began it went wildly for a 
time, and at last the smiling Professor, with 
many expressions of regret, told them that as no 
one came within even a reasonable figure of the 
contents, he felt that no one was entitled to the 
prize. 

At this announcement, it appeared that some 


THE SHOW BUSINESS 


225 


of the boys thought they had not received fair 
play. Murmurs of cheating ” and “ skin 
game,” gave place to a noisy demonstration. 

At last hisses and yells broke forth, and in the 
midst of the confusion, the sides of the tent were 
suddenly raised and several Indians (?) in war- 
paint and feathers, armed with tomahawks, told 
the boys to “ clear out and git home out o’ here, 
the w^hole lot o’ yer.” 

There was much indignation and disappoint- 
ment among the boys over the affair, and they 
were standing in a group outside the grocery 
store, talking it over, Charlie Baxter’s voice 
raised the loudest in protest, when his uncle 
appeared. 

“ What’s the matter, Charlie? ” asked the 
smiling grocer, “what’s it all about?” Where- 
upon Charlie related the whole affair to his sym- 
pathizing relative ; but when he had finished, his 
uncle gave him a prolonged wink, and sang as he 
stepped inside, — “ Put not your trust in the med- 
icine man,” a remark that some of the boys never 
forgot. 


CHAPTER XX 
ben’s proposition 

“ Jimmie, you may go up to Ben Ridgeway’s to- 
day, he wants to see you,” said John Suter, one 
morning just after breakfast. 

“ Wants to see me? ” asked Jimmie, in sur- 
prised tones. “ I wonder what it all means ; the 
day before yesterday, he w^as standing on the 
steps of the post office, and when I came out he 
slapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘ Have you 
thought about what I’ve said to you? ’ Now, the 
queer part of it is,” Jimmie went on, “ he hasn’t 
said a single w'ord that I can make sense out of. 
— I haven’t the least idea what he’s been driving 
at by his mysterious words. It’s all a riddle to 
me.” 

Well, you had better go up there this morn-, 
ing,” said the man, with a smile, and let him 
read the riddle.” 

“ Have you any idea, father, what he wants to 
see me about? ” 


226 


BEN^S PROPOSITION 227 

For answer, his father’s smile deepened, but 
he only said : — 

“ You run along up there and find out for 
yourself.” 

When our hero’s chores were done, he lost no 
time in starting for Ben’s place, taking the short 
cut through the woods; after he had paddled up 
the marsh brook in his canoe. 

It w^as now almost the middle of May, and all 
the fields and woods breathed of Summer. The 
leaves on tree and bush had taken on a deeper 
green, the grass looked a season old in many 
places. A robin darted past Jimmie as he went 
along, and perched on a bush just ahead. In a 
second he w’as joined by his mate, who looked at 
Jimmie boldly, as much as to say, “ This is our 
woods, w'hat is your business here?” Jimmie 
passed a swampy part of the woods and saw vio- 
lets in large numbers, hidden under their broad 
leaves. He came across the same flower again, in a 
dryer place, growing not nearly so tall, under a 
group of pine trees. 

Reaching one of the winter “feeding posts,” 
he met a flock of small birds, a big blue-jay in 


228 JIMMIE EUTER 

their midst, making a great outcry at his ap- 
proach. 

But Jimmie Suter did not heed the signs of 
life about him very much that morning. He 
was hurrying on his way with rapid strides, won- 
dering, as he went, what Ben wanted to see him 
for. As he walked on, he could not help think- 
ing, now and then, of the joyful summer so near 
at hand, and the good times he would have in the 
long vacation. 

He wished he could do something “worth 
while ” the coming summer, he told himself ; 
something a little out of the ordinary. He 
wanted to have a real good time, and the thought 
came to him that he would like to earn some 
money, too. It must be fine, thought Jimmie, 
to do real work and earn money. It must be 
fine to do ever so many things. To camp out for 
instance, that must be the very acme of a good 
time, jolliest of all good times. 

In the midst of his thoughts, Ben^s new cot- 
tage came into view, and just beyond he could 
see the blue waters of the lake, glistening in the 
sunshine. 


BEN’S PROPOSITION 


229 


Jimmie did not know why the odor of the 
pines was more delicious in the vicinity of Ben 
Eidgeway’s shanties than anywhere else. He only 
knew that it was a fact. The subtle chemistry 
of the sunshine, the water, and the pines, made 
one stop to take a deeper breath; and Jimmie, 
boy that he was, stood for a second and drank 
in the perfume. 

Then he hurried on, and having reached Ben’s 
door, knocked timidly and waited . 

“ Come in, Jimmie, come in,” said Ben, in the 
cheeriest voice, opening the door. “ I’ve been 
expecting yer, all the mornin’.” 

He motioned Jimmie to a chair, and seating^ 
himself on the end of an old lounge, smiled at 
the boy, till his small eyes narrowed to mere*' 
slits under the bushy eyebrows. 

“ Now, I suppose you’ve been a-thinkin’ and 
a-wonderin’ what on airth an old man like me ’ud 
want of a boy like you — an’ I’m a-goin’ to tell 
yer. I’m a goin’ ter tell yer the hull story, be- 
cause you’re one boy in a thousand, ay, Jimmie, 

I think yer one boy in ten thousand. You’ve 
got an honest father and mother, an’ I trust ’em. 


230 


JIMMIE EUTER 


an’ it’s because I know yer to be honest, that I’m 
a-goin’ ter tell yer, what I’m goin’ ter do.” 

The old man paused for a moment, but Jimmie 
only sat there looking at Ben in silence; his 
curiosity aroused more than ever, by this pre- 
amble. 

“You’ve always thought I was a poor man, 
didn’t yer? ” asked Ben suddenly. 

He waited a moment, while Jimmie, more 
puzzled than ever, did not know just what to 
say. 

“And I thought so myself till jest about a 
month ago,” continued Ben; “but now I tell 
yer I’m rich — rich,” he repeated in a lower tone, 
looking cautiously for a second toward the 
door. 

“He — he — he,” he chuckled softly to himself, 
“ it’s a big surprise, Jimmie, an’ I’m goin’ ter 
tell you all about it. 

“I wasn’t born in this country, as perhaps 
yer know. I was born on the Island of Jersey, in 
the English Channel. It’s so long ago since I left 
the old place that I’d ’most forgotten about it; 
when one day, ’bout a month ago, I got a letter 


BEN’S PROPOSITION 


231 


with a foreign postmark on it. When I opened 
that letter I remembered Jersey, but before I 
tell yer about that letter, I must tell yer ’bout 
Susan. She was my sister (there was only the 
two of us), and when the Crimean war broke 
out, she went as a nurse in the English army. 
A fine woman too, was Susan, but had a will of 
her own. Well, she was there all through the 
war and earned the Victoria Cross. That 
means a big thing to an Englishman, Jimmie, it’s 
something to be proud of, I can tell yer. Well, 
she came back to Jersey when the war was over 
and married. It’s over forty year since I set' 
eyes on her. 

But it seems she married pretty well, and 
she had something laid by on her own account, 
beside, and in course o’ time, her husband died, 
and left her a childless widow, with a tidy 
fortune. 

“ Well, ter make a short story, Susan up and 
died a short time ago, an’ left it all to me. I 
didn’t tell yer that ’bout a year ago, we wrote to 
each other for a spell. But she never so much 
as hinted that she was worth a dollar.” 


232 


JIMMIE SUTER 


Ben chuckled again, while Jimmie wondered, 
in silence, what all this had to do with him. 

“ An’ she died an’ left all her money and prop- 
erty to me,” Ben went on. It’s a matter o’ 
some eighty thousand dollars. Think o’ that. 
An’ no one in the place knows a word of it ; but 
the letter came from the lawyers over there, an’ 
I’m a-goin’ over the first o’ June to see for my- 
self and settle things up. 

“ It’s quite a trip across, for a man o’ my 
years, but I’m strong an’ hearty as a man o’ 
forty. At any rate, I got to go, Jimmie, an’ I’ve 
wanted to tell you the whole story. ^ 

“When I come back I may build a sightly 
place ; I don’t know yet, but it’s a pile o’ money, 
lad, a pile o’ money. Ain’t it, now, Jimmie,” he 
said smiling, “ a pretty big fortune for a man at 
my time o’ life? ” 

“ Yes, sir, it’s a great deal of money,” replied 
the boy, still waiting to hear in what way Ben’s 
change of fortune concerned himself. 

“ And now, Jimmie, I’ve got a proposition to 
make, for you’re the very one that’s goin’ to help 
me in this matter,” said Ben. 


BEN^S PROPOSITION 


233 


For a second it flashed through the boy’s mind 
that the old man wanted to take him along on 
the journey, but he was quickly undeceived on 
this point. 

“ I’m a-goin’ ter start for Europe, the first of 
June, and I want you to take care of my place 
here, till I come back. 

“ I’ve sold ’most all the hens ; there’s a few 
that’ll keep you in fresh eggs, for their care ; the 
pigeons, too, are all here, to be looked after; 
but what I had in mind was this : 

I’ll be away all summer and mebbe longer, 
perhaps for months. You’ve got a long vacation 
and yer a boy that likes ter do things an’ hustle 
for yourself. Now, I thought if you’d keep an 
eye on this place till school closes, then you 
could come right up here and live here for the 
summer. It’s a fine place for a boy like you, 
Jimmie; there’s good boatin’ and fishin’ in the 
lake and it’s splendid over there in the pine 
woods on a hot day. I’ll leave all my things an’ 
yer can make whatever you’ve a mind to, boats 
an’ sheds or anything. Perhaps that Cotter 
chap might come up here, or a couple o’ other 


234 


JIMMIE SUTER 


good boys, an’ keep yer company. Have any one 
yer like up here, I know you’re a good boy an’ 
keep good comp’ny, so I trust yer. 

“ You can do what yer like, use my stuff an’ 
welcome, only watch out for fires, an’ don’t al- 
low Shad Wilber, or any hoodlums near the 
place. Besides all the fun you’ll git out of it. 
I’ll pay you a dollar a week to look after things 
and keep the place right, till I come back. Now 
what do you say Jimmie — is it a bargain? ” 

Jimmie, who had received this surprising of- 
fer, with minged emotions, did not answer for a 
second. Joy at the prospect Ben had just put be- 
fore him, and fear lest he could not accept, filled 
his thoughts. 

‘‘I shall have to ask my father first,” said 
Jimmie; ^Hhen I can tell you.” 

If that’s all, my lad, yer needn’t worry ; 
your father knows all about it. I told him the 
whole thing yesterday, and he’s the only one be- 
side yourself that knows a thing about it.” 

But what did he say? ” asked Jimmie, 
eagerly. “ Did he say I could come up here and 
camp with the other boys and all that? ” 


BEN^S PROPOSITION 


235 


“ He said he’d give his consent willingly ; he 
thought it would be a pleasant way to spend your 
vacation, and if you wanted to take my offer, 
he’d see that everything was right.” 

Then, I’ll do it,” cried Jimmie, joyfully. 
“I’ll watch your place, as well as I can, till 
school closes; then I’ll come up here and camp 
out for the summer.” 

“ That’ll suit me first-rate, Jimmie; an’ now,” 
said Ben, rising from the lounge, “ I’ve got to 
cut your visit short, as I’ve got some business to 
do in Northwood.” 

Jimmie arose quickly and started for the door. 
He had his hand on the latch, when Ben touched 
him on the shoulder. 

“ An’ you’ll never be sorry, Jimmie, for doing 
this favor for me, I promise yer.” 

“ I’ll take good care of your place sir ; ” and 
with these words, Jimmie opened the door and 
started for home. 

When once in the quiet of the woodland path, 
our hero began to go over, in his mind, Ben’s 
proposition. 

In the first place, he would write at once to 


rt 


236 JIMMIE EUTER 

Band and tell him the whole plan. He was just 
the boy to appreciate the splendid fun of camping 
in Ben’s old place for the summer. 

Then too, perhaps Philip Moon could join 
them. They both enjoyed his company; and if 
the three of them could live up there by the lake 
and the pine woods, care for the few hens and 
pigeons (those tumblers were already an object 
of the keenest interest to Jim), if they could 
really camp out, do their own cooking, fish and 
swim in the lake, live in the open ; what a glorious 
summer they would have ! 

Jimmie’s feet seemed winged as he flew over 
the ground and reached the spot where his canoe 
was anchored. He got in as quickly as possible 
and paddled down the marsh brook for home. 


CHAPTER XXI 


THE CAMP 

** There ! I think I’ve got everything now,” said 
Jimmie, placing a large package wrapped in 
brown paper on the buckboard that stood at his 
back door, and was already pretty well filled with 
various-sized bundles and boxes. 

That buckboard comes in handy, doesn’t it? ” 
said Philip, helping to pack some of the bundles 
nearer together. 

I can tell you it does,” was the answer. “ I 
didn’t know when I was making it that it would 
be so useful.” 

Philip Moon had come over, early in the day, to 
help Jimmie carry some things to Ben Ridge- 
way’s, as the boys were getting ready to move 
into their summer quarters. 

^‘Now, let me see, Jimmie,” said the boy’s 
mother, coming to the door and casting her eyes 

237 


’*^-^8 JIMMIE SVTER 

ovil^the furniture on the buckboard. You’ve got 
' fSe bed linen and those towels I left out for you, 
but I don’t see the blankets.” 

Here they are, in these newspapers,” cried 
Philip. 

“And the dishes?” 

“ All safe, mother, in that small tub, and there 
are the books, and my rubber boots, and the small 
things are in the white box.” 

“ Then I think you are ready to move,” and 
she smiled at the boys as they started to draw the 
buckboard a^vay from the door. 

“ Band will be there before us, I think,” said 
Jimmie, as they turned into the road. “ The 
train gets in shortly after ten, and he’s going 
straight to Ben’s place from the depot.” 

“ I wish we were going to begin camping to- 
day,” said Philip ; “ it’s too bad we’ve got to wait 
a whole week.” 

“ Oh, well, school doesn’t close until next Fri- 
day,” said Jim, “ and my father thinks we would 
better not begin camping up there until the fol- 
lowing Monday; but it will be a good start to get 
all these things up there and the place straight- 


THE CAMP 


239 


ened out a bit before we begin, don’t you think 
so?” 

“ Oh, yes, I was going over there to-day, any- 
way, to have a look at my beans,” said Philip; 
‘‘ if w’e want vegetables by-and-by, I must do a 
bit of weeding now and then.” 

A small garden patch, back of Ben Ridgeway’s 
barn, had been appropriated by Philip the first 
time he saw it, to plant some vegetables in for 
the camp. 

“ Do you realize that we are really going to 
live up there this summer?” asked Jimmie sud- 
denly, stopping a moment in the middle of the 
road to rest. 

I don’t think I do, yet,” said Philip, with a 
smile. “ My father says that on some windy 
night we’ll all be blown clear across the lake, or 
else we’ll wake up some morning drenched to the 
skin.” 

He’ll find himself mistaken about that,” 
laughed Jimmie. ‘‘ The place is water-tight; my 
father made sure of that, and if the foundation 
is strong enough to stand winter storms, I’m 
very sure it will be safe for the summer.” 


240 


JIMMIE EUTER 


Oh, of course, I know father’s joking about 
it,” said Philip. “ He’s been saying ever so many 
funny things, since he gave me permission to 
camp with you and Eand. Do you know, Jim- 
mie, my father just loves to play tricks on me. 
We have lots of good times together, father 
and I. Why, when we’re in for a good time, I 
never think of father as a big, grown-up man; 
he seems just like one of us; and, say, Jimmie, 
when my father goes off on a trip (you know 
he has to go at times, in his business), I feel 
just as lonesome; seems as if my chum had gone, 
instead of my father.” 

Jimmie smiled at Philip’s compliment to his 
father, but what a splendid compliment it was! 
Perhaps it accounted for Philip’s bright, lovable, 
trusting nature. If more fathers were “ chums ” 
for their boys, I think we would have better boys 
and — ^better fathers. 

The boys continued on their way, but after a 
short time Philip wanted to rest. 

“ This is a pretty good load, you know ; it 
makes my back ache, and seems to get heavier 
as we go along.” 


THE CAMP 


241 


“ Don’t give up yet,” laughed Jimmie, who had 
been working so hard that beads of perspiration 
stood on his forehead. “ We’ll be there inside of 
half an hour.” 

They trudged on in silence for the next fifteen 
minutes, stopping again when a farmer, driving 
toward the town, drew in his horses and saluted 
them. 

“ Could you tell me,” he asked, “ what’s be- 
come o’ Ben Kidgeway, that used to live up there 
by the lake? ” 

“ He’s gone to Europe, sir,” said Jimmie; “ he 
started the first of the month.” 

“ I want ter know ! Mebbe you could tell me 
who is livin’ on his place up there? ” 

“ Well, we’re going to live there,” cried Jim- 
mie. “ We’re moving in now,” he added, with a 
smile. 

“Are your folks goin’ ter run his poultry 
farm? ” asked the man, supposing it was the 
boy’s parents who were moving into Ben’s place. 

“ No, sir, Ben sold most of his hens before he 
went aw^ay.” 

The farmer continued on his way, leaving Jim- 


242 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


mie and Philip still resting in the road ; but they 
did not stay there long, and in a very short time 
had made such progress that they could see the 
lake sparkling in the sunlight ahead, and they 
knew their journey was almost ended. 

“ You fellows are slow ! ” rang out a voice, as 
they neared Ben’s place. “ I’ve been waiting so 
long, I thought you must have got lost.” 

“ You wouldn’t be very fast, if you had to drag 
this load as far as we have,” said Philip and Jim 
in one breath when Rand Cotter appeared be- 
fore them, looking very well, indeed, in a new 
suit of clothes. 

Rand always dressed well, but to-day he looked 
smarter than ever. Perhaps it was the contrast 
with Jimmie in his old working-clothes, dingy 
with the dust of the road. 

‘‘ Did you meet my father, on the way? ” asked 
Rand. And when the boys replied in the negative 
he seemed surprised. 

He has driven over to the house, but is com- 
ing back for me later; and now before you open 
the door,” continued Rand, as Jimmie took the 
keys of the cottage from his pocket, “ just come 



“ You fellows are slow ! ” rang out a voice, as they neared 
Ben’s place. — Page 242. 


i 



THE CAMP 243 

over here a minute. I want to show you some- 
thing.” 

He walked back of the house toward the lake, 
followed by the other boys; but they had taken 
only a few steps when they stood as if rooted to 
the spot, for there, on the border of the lake, was 
a fine new tent all ready for them. 

Pretty good-looking place to camp in for a 
while, isn’t it? ” said Rand, enjoying the surprise 
of his friends. 

Why, I don’t understand,” began Jimmie. 
‘‘When was it placed there? I was up here 
yesterday, and there wasn’t a sign of it.” 

“Well,” said Rand, smiling, “it must have 
dropped there during the night. The fact is, 
however, it was put up this morning by some 
men that father sent out here for that purpose.” 

When the boys had gone over every square 
inch, as it were, of their fine camp, they went 
back to the buckboard and began to move their 
belongings into the house. 

With three pairs of hands at work, it did not 
take very long. Then they fed the hens and 
pigeons that Ben had left in their care, and 


244 


JIMMIE 8UTER 


looked over Philip’s garden, while he explained 
about the beds he had laid out and his plans for 
the coming weeks. The boat and boat-landing 
were visited next, and the boys decided to row 
across to the pine woods after lunch. As they 
walked back to the house, taking a general survey 
of the place, Rand said suddenly: 

“ Say, boys, if we’re going to camp here for 
the summer, we must give this place a name. It 
isn’t Ben’s shanty any longer, at least not for 
some months ; it’s ours now. Come, Philip ; come, 
Jimmie, put on your thinking caps and find a 
good name for our new camp.” 

I think that’s your specialty,” returned 
Philip. “ Suppose you start.” 

Go ahead, Rand ; you’re the one for names,” 
said Jimmie. 

“ Let’s see,” said Rand, seating himself on a 
smooth stone. There’s scores of names we could 
use. I’m a little tired of Indian names. We 
might make one up from our own names.” 

Just then a flock of pigeons, among them Ben’s 
famous tumblers, circled over their heads and 
flew into the yard, almost at Jimmie’s feet. 


THE CAMP 


245 


They knew their keeper of the past weeks, and 
were very tame with him. They walked about in 
a stately way for a minute, and then, of a sud- 
den, fluttered to the loft almost overhead. 

Jimmie’s eyes followed them, and a smile broke 
over his freckled face. 

“ We might call it ^ Pigeon Camp,’ ” he sug- 
gested in his modest way. 

“ The very name ! ” cried Rand, jumping to his 
feet, while Philip called out lustily, “ Three 
cheers for Pigeon Camp.” 

And this is how the boys of Pigeon Camp came 
together that pleasant Saturday in June, and 
glorious plans for a jolly summer were formed 
by them that day. 

How those plans were carried out, making it 
a summer never to be forgotten, and Pigeon 
Camp the jolliest place you ever heard of, and 
Jimmie Suter and the boys of Pigeon Camp the 
liveliest, most wide-awake lads you ever met, of 
course, you want to know; and you shall hear 
all about it in ‘‘ The Luck of Pigeon Camp.” 



MY FRIEND JIM 

A STORY OF REAL BOYS AND FOR THEK 

By MARTHA JAHES 

Square lamo Cloth Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill aoo pages 

As a sub-title to her latest book 
for young people, “ My Friend 
Jim,” Martha James has added 
the line “A Story of Real Boys 
and for Them,” and it is a real 
book in the best sense of the 
word. As a testimony as to what 
one real boy at least thinks of it 
it may not be out of place to re- 
late a little incident which oc- 
curred Christmas week. 

Having missed one of the boys 
of the household, a lad given 
more to baseball and shinney 
than books, the writer was siuprised to find him lying at 
full-length on a big rug before the fire in the library, deep 
in a book. 

“Hello ! what are 'you reading?” was the exclamatory 
question. 

“ ‘ My Friend Jim,’ ” was the brief reply. 

“ Is it good ? ” 

“ Well, I guess ; it’s a dandy ! ” and with an impatient 
gesture that indicated that he did not want to be further 
interrupted, he turned his back toward his questioner and 
buried his face in his book. 

Jim is a country boy, strong and healthy in mind and 
body, though poor and humble, whose companionship is 
the means of improving physically, as well as broadening 
in mind and character, the invalid son of a man of means 
forced to remain abroad on business. Brandt, the city 
boy, spends the summer in the country near Jim’s home, 
and the simple adventures and pleasures of the lads form 
the interest of the story. — Brooklyn Citizen. 



LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., Boston 


TOM WINSTONE,“WIDE AWAKE” 

By MARTHA JAMES 

Author of “ My Friend Jim ” and “ Jack Tenfield’s Star ” 


Large IZmo. Cloth. Illustrated by W. Herbert Dunton. Price $1.00 


“ Another book equally worthy of a 
place in our Sunday-school libraries 
is Tom Winstonk, ‘ Wide Awake,’ by 
Martha James. -It is a thorough-going 
boy’s book of the rightsort,— full of life, 
bubbling over with high spirits and 
noble ambition ; a most intelligent 
interpretation of boy life and charac- 
ter. The young hero of this narrative, 
equally efficient in athletics at school 
and in the harder school of manly 
sacrifice, is a character well worth 
knowing.” — Pilgrim Teacher, Boston. 

“ The young hero of the story, equally efficient in athletic 
sports and in noble deeds, is well worth the acquaintance of every 
healthy boy reader.” — Boston Transcript 

“ Any healthy boy will delight in this book.” — Li/ving Church, 
Milwaukee, Wis. 

“ Another excellent story for boys is Tom Wikstone, ‘ Wide 
Awake,’ by Martha James. Here is a recital of adventure, 
with much account of boyish sport, in a pure tone and with 
Christian teaching.” — Fall River News. 

“ This is a real ‘ boy’s story,’ full of incidents and interesting 
characters drawn to the life, while the tone is wholesome and 
genuine.” — Portland Press. 

“ The author has done a good work for the lads of the gener- 
ation, and her effort will doubtless meet with the popularity it 
deserves.” — Indianapolis Sentinel. 

For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the publishers. 



1«££ & SH£PA.R.D, FxiblisHers* Boston 



JACK TENFIELD’S STAR 

By Martha James Illustrated by Charles Copeland Large i2mo $i.oo 

J ACK TENFIELD is a bright Boston boy, who, 
while preparing for college, is brought to face 
the fact that his father, a benevolent physi- 
cian, and supposed to be well-to-do, had really 
left no estate. Jack resolutely defends his 
father’s memory, and makes the best of it. Cir- 
cumstances bring much travel and many adven- 
tures, in all of which his generous, manly 
character rings true. That Jack is capable of 
being his “own star” well expresses the ex- 
cellent thought of the book, which is remarkable 
for variety of well-told incidents. 

A clean, wholesome, enjoyable book.” — The Amer^ 
icon Boy, Detroit^ Mich. 

Tom Winstone, ‘‘Wide Awake” 

By Martha James Large 1 2mo Illustrated by W. Herbert Dunton $ i .00 

W E have often wished that we could secure a book for boys like the 
undying ones written by J. T. Trowbridge, and in “Tom Win- 
stone” we have a young hero whose story is told in a way well worthy 
to be compared with the work of the older writer referred to. The 
sterling quality shown in “ My Friend Jim” is all here, and “ Tom,” an 
older boy, equally efficient in baseball, a foot race, or a noble action, is 
well worth knowing. 

“Any healthy boy will delight in this book." — Living Church, Milwaukee, Wis. 

My Friend Jim 

A 5tory of Real Boys and for Them 

By Martha James Large i2mo Illus- 
trated by Frank T. Merrill $l.cx> 

J UST the book to place in the hands of 
bright, active boys, and one that the 
most careful parents will be glad to use 
for that purpose. The loyal friendship 
springing up between Jim, the son of a me- 
chanic, and a wealthy man’s son who is at 
Sunnyside farm for his health, has made the 
basis for some of the cleanest, brightest, and 
most helpful descriptions of boy life that we 
have ever read. 

It is a book that boys will like and profit by.” 

—Universalist Leader, Boston, 

For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 




THE BOY CRAFTSMAN 

Practical and Profitable Idees for a Boy** 
Leisure Hours 

By A. NEELY HALL 

Illustrated with over 400 diagrams and 
working drawings 8vo Price, $2.00 

E very real boy wishes to design and make 
things, but the questions of materials and 
tools are often hard to get around. Nearly all 
books on the subject call for a greater outlay of 
money than is within the means of many boys, 
or their parents wish to expend in such ways. 
In this book a number of chapters give sugges- 
tions for carrying on a small business that will 
bring a boy in money with which to buy tools 
and materials necessary for making apparatus 
and articles described in other chapters, while 
the ideas are so practical that many an indus- 
trious boy can learn what he is best fitted for in his life work. No work 
of its class is so completely up-to-date or so worthy in point of thorough- 
ness and avoidance of danger. The drawings are profuse and excellent, 
and every feature of the book is first-class. It tells how to make a boy’s 
workshop, how to handle tools, and what can be made with them ; how 
to start a printing shop and conduct an amateur newspaper, how to 
make photographs, build a log cabin, a canvas canoe, a gymnasium, a 
miniature theatre, and many other things dear to the soul of youth. 

We cannot imagine a more delightful present for a boy than this book. — 
Churchman, N. T. 

Every boy should have this book. It’s a practical book — it gets right next to 
the boy’s heart and stays there. He will have it near him all the time, and on every 
page there is a lesson or something that will stand the boy in good need. Beyond 
a doubt in its line this is one of the cleverest books on the market. — Providence 
News. 

If a boy has any sort of a mechanical turn of mind, his parents should see that 
he has this book. — Boston Journal, 

This is a book that will do boys good. — Buffalo Express. 

The boy who will not find this book a mine of joy and profit must be queerly 
constituted. — Pittsburgh Gazette, 

Will be a delight to the boy mechanic. — Watchman, Boston. 

An admirable book to give a boy. — Newark News. 

This book is the best yet offered for its large number of practical and profitable 
ideas. — Milwaukee Free Press, 

Parents ought to know of this book. — New fork Globe. 



For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 
price by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 



PHILLIPS EXETER SERIES 


Cloth, i2mo 


By A. T. DUDLEY 


Illustrated by Charles Copeland Price per volume, $ 1 .25 


FOLLOWING THE BALL 

H ere is an up-to-date story presenting American boarding-school life 
and modern athletics. Of course football is an important feature, 
but this is far more than a football book. It is a story of character forma- 
tion told in a most wholesome and manly way. In this development ath- 
letics play an important part, to be sure, but are only one feature in carry- 
ing the hero, “ Dick Melvin,” on to a worthy manhood. 

“ Mingled with the story of football is another and higher endeavor, giving the 
book the best of moral tone.” — Chicag'o Record-Htrala. 

MAKING THE NINE 

T his story is lively and worth telling, and the 
life presented is that of a real school, inter- 
esting, diversified, and full of striking incidents, 
while the characters are true and consistent types of 
American boyhood and youth. The athletics are 
technically correct, abounding in helpful sugges- 
tions, soundly and wisely given, and the moral tone 
is high and set by action rather than preaching. 

” The story is healthful, for, while it exalts athletics, it 
does not overlook the fact that studious habits and noble 
character are imperative needs for those who would win 
success in life,” — Herald and Presbyter, Cincinnati, 


THE LINE 

T ells how a stalwart young student won 
his position as guard, and at the same time 
made equally marked progress in the formation 
of character. It introduces the leading argu- 
ments for and against football in connection 
with the difficulties to be overcome before the 
hero’s father finally consents to allow his son to 
represent his academy in this way. 

” The book gives boys an interesting story, much 
football information, and many lessons in true manli- 
ness. ”— Watchman, Boston, 

For tale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 





TWO YOUNG INVENTORS 

THE STORY OF THE FLYING BOAT 

By ALVAH MILTON KERR lUus- 
trated ^1*25 

H ere is a rattling good story; a tale of 
mystery, mechanism, and getting on in 
the world that will be a boy’s favorite for years. 
Two youths, both born inventors, make each 
other’s acquaintance as a result of misfortunes 
attending a Minnesota cyclone. Their efforts to 
perfect a flying-boat that shall not only skim the 
water, but rise into the air, result in the securing 
of a mechanical education. Mr. Kerr has 
solved the problem of a book that shall be 
intensely exciting and yet thoroughly wholesome. 

"The ing’enuity and pluck of these two worthy heroes supply just the right 
material for the encouragement of ambitious youth.’’ — Boston Beacon, 

" Ths book is full of life, incident, and stirring success.” — Watchman, Boston. 
" The book is deeply interesting, at times intensely exciting, and yet thoroughly 
clean and wholesome throughout.” — Portland Express, 

YOUNG HEROES OE WIRE AND RAIL 


By ALVAH MILTON KERR Ulus- 
trated i2mo Cloth $1.25 

T he place which the sea once held in sup- 
plying thrilling tales of heroism and peril 
is now being largely usurped by that powerful 
agent of progress, the railway service, and with 
no lessening of interest. It is also very attrac- 
tive to know how those who bear the vast 
responsibilities of this service perform their 
work and meet the fearful emergencies that 
may arise at any time. 

" The tone of the work is healthful and inspiring.” — 

Boston Herald. 

"They are calculated to inspire boys to become manly, and incidentally they 
contain considerable valuable information.” — Newark Nezvs, 

" _An ideal book for a young boy is ' Young Heroes of Wire and Rail.* ” — 
Episcopal Recorder, Philadelphia. 


For aale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 

by the publishers, 9 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 




THE GREGORY GUARDS 

By Emma Lee Benedict Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill i2mo $1.25 

A YOUNG man of wealth is trustee for a 
fund to help boys and chooses six to pass 
the summer at his home on an island near New 
York. These lads of widely different tempera- 
ments in true boy fashion form a “club,” 
whose highest purpose it is to watch over the 
property and interests of their benefactor, and 
to which they give his name. All profit in great 
measure from a summer that is a turning point in 
their lives. A story of reaping good by doing 
pod, bright and entertaining and full of life, 
incident, and good sense. 

“ It is a story along novel lines, and may be warmly 
commended,” — St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 

The Youn^ Vigilantes 

A Story of Califoraia Life In the Fifties 

By Samuel Adams Drake Illustrated by L. J. 

Bridgman Price $1.25 

F ew men now remain who can describe the 
“Forty-Niners” from personal knowledge 
and experience, and the very best one of them 
is the noted historical writer. Col. Drake. One 
of two young chums in Boston yields to the ex- 
citement of the day and goes to California, partly 
at his friend’s expense. Later, the hero of the story 
is driven by injustice to make his way thither via 
the route across Nicaragua, befriended by an old 
sailor. A reunion and exciting experiences in San 
Francisco follow. 

“ The book is a bright, able, and wholesome contribution to the knowledge of 
our country’s progress .” — Religious Telescope^ Dayton, O. 

Joe’s Signal Code 

By W. Reiff Hesser Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill $1.25 

T his book tells of the abandoning of a fine ship with its cargo in the 
Pacific Ocean. The leading characters, who are to leave in the last 
boat, had their escape cut off by its destruction, but succeed in saving the 
ship and lead a most interesting life for more than a year on a hitherto 
unknown island. 

” The boys will enjoy it from cover to cover. The book is many degrees above 
the ordinary story.” — American Boy, Detroit. 

For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

LOTMROP, LEE 4: 5HEPARD CO., BOSTON 




BOOKS BY EVERETT T. TOMLINSON. 


THE WAR OP 1812 SERIES 


Six volumes Cloth Illustrated by A. R 
Shute Price per volume reduced to $1.25 

No American writer for boys has ever occupied 
a higher position than Dr. Tomlinson, and the 
“War of 1812 Series” covers a field attempted 
by no other juvenile literature in a manner that 
has secured continued popularity. 

The Search for Andrew Field 
The Boy Soldiers of 1812 
The Boy Officers of 1812 
Tecumseh’s Young Braveo 
Guarding the Border 

The Boys with Old Hickory 

ST. LAWRENCE SERIES 

CRUISING IN THE ST. LAWRENCE 

Being the third volume of the *‘St. Lawrence Series** Cloth 
Illustrated Price $ i . 50 

Our old friends, “ Bob,” “ Ben,” “ Jock,” and “ Bert,” having completed 
their sophomore year at college, plan to spend the summer vacation cruising 
on the noble St. Lawrence. Here they not only visit places of historic inter- 
est, but also the Indian tribes encamped on the banks of the rivery and learn 
from them their customs, habits, and quaint legends. 

PREVIOUS VOLUMES 

CAMPING ON THE ST. LAWRENCE 

Or, On the Trail of the Early Discoverers 
Cloth Illustrated $1.50 

THE HOUSE-BOAT ON THE ST. LAWRENCE 
Or, Following Frontenac 
Cloth Illustrated $1.50 

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 

STORIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIOf>i 
First and Second Series Cloth Illustrated $1.00 sack 



Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Boston 


American Heroes and Heroines 


By Pauline Carrington Bouve Illustrated 
i2mo Cloth $1.25 

T his book, which will tend directly toward 
the making of patriotism in young Americans, 
contains some twenty brief, clever and attractive 
sketches of famous men and women in American 
history, among them Father Marquette, Anne 
Hutchinson, Israel Putnam, Molly Pitcher, Paul 
Jones, Dolly Madison, Daniel Boone, etc. Mrs. 
Bouvd is well known as a writer both of fiction and 
history, and her work in this case is admirable. 

“ The style of the book for simplicity and clearness 
of expression could hardly be excelled.” — Boston 
Budget. 

The Scarlet Patch 

The Story of a Patriot Boy in the Mohawk Valley 

By Mary E. Q. Brush Illustrated by George W. Picknell $1.25 
I 'HE Scarlet Patch’’ was the badge of a Tory organization, and a 
JL loyal patriot boy, Donald Bastien, is dismayed at learning that his 
uncle, with whom he is a “bound boy,’’ is secretly connected with this 
treacherous band. Thrilling scenes follow in which a faithful Indian 
figures prominently, and there is a vivid presentation of the school and 
home life as well as the public affairs of those times. 

" A book that will be most valuable to the library of the young boy.” — Provi- 
dence News, 

Stories of Brave Old Times 

Some Pen Pictures of Scenes Which 
Took Place Previous to, or Connected 
With, the American Revolution 

By Helen M. Cleveland Profusely illustra- 
ted Large i2mo Cloth $1.25 

I T is a book for every library, a book for 
adults, and a book for the young. Per- 
haps no other book yet written sets the great 
cost of freedom so clearly before the young, 
consequently is such a spur to patriotism. 

“ It can unqualifiedly be commended as a book for 
youthful readers; its g^reat wealth of illustrations 
adding to its value.” — Chicago News, 


For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on 
by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 



receipt of price 


i 




AMERICAN HEROES 

AMO 

HEROINES 



CARRIfCTCW BOtVfc 


patnoas Children 

By H. Twitchell Illustrated $1.25 

W E have here a most valuable book, telling 
not of the childhood of those who have 
afterwards become famous, but those who as 
children are famous in history, song, and story. 
For convenience the subjects are grouped as 
“ Royal Children,” ” Child Artists,” “Learned 
Children,” “Devoted Children,” “Child Mar- 
tyrs,” and “Heroic Children,” and the names 
of the “ two little princes,” Louis XVIL, Mo- 
zart, St. Genevieve, David, and Joan of Arc are 
here, as well as those of many more. 



The Stopy of the Cid People 

By Calvin Dill Wilson Illustrated by J. W. Kennedy $1.25 

M r. WILSON, a well-known writer and reviewer, has prepared from 
Southey’s translation, which was far too cumbrous to entertain the 
young, a book that will kindle the imagination of youth and entertain and 
inform those of advanced years. 



-- ■ 
JasoN) 

QUEST 


Jason’s Quest 

By D. O. S. Lowell, A. M., M. D. Master in 
Roxbury Latin School Illustrated $1.00 

NJOTHING can be better to arouse the imagin- 
^ ^ ation of boys and girls, and at the same 
time store in their minds knowledge indispens- 
able to any one who would be known as cul- 
tured, or happier than Professor Lowell’s way 
of telling a story, and the many excellent draw- 
ings have lent great spirit to the narrative. 


HePoes of the Gpusades 

By Amanda M. Douglas Cloth Fifty full-page illustrations $1.50 

T he romantic interest in the days of chivalry, so fully exemplified by 
the “ Heroes of the Crusades,” is permanent and properly so. This 
book is fitted to keep it alive without descending to improbability or 
cheap sensationalism. 


For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

{-OTHROP, LER & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 


W. 0. STODDARD’S BOOKS 

12mo Cloth Price per volume, $1.25 

DAN MONROE : A Story of Banker Hill Illustrated by W. F, Kennedy 
In this volume the hero is one whose name is found in several trust- 
worthy records as the drummer boy of the Lexington militia, his closest 
friend, Nat Harrington, being the fifer. The Concord fight, the Battle of 
Bunker Hill, and the arrival of Washington are introduced as parts of a 
carefully preserved historical outline. 

BONG BRIDGE BOYS Illustrated by I. B. Hazelton 

It tells the story of an actual attempt made by the Confederates of Vir- 
ginia, just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, to seize the city of 
Washington by force of arms, and make prisoners of President Lincoln 
and other high government officials. 

AHEAD OF THE ARMY Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson 

This is a lively narrative of the experiences of an American boy who 
arrives in Mexico as the war with the United States is beginning. 

THE ERRAND BOY OP ANDREW JACKSON: A War Story of 
181!} Illustrated by Will Crawford 

This tale is of the War of 1812, and describes the events of the only land 
campaign of 1812-1814 in which the Americans were entirely successful. 

JACK MORGAN: A Boy of 1812 Illustrated by Will Crawford 

It is the adventures of a boy of the frontier during the great fight that Har- 
rison made on land, and Perry on the lakes for the security of the border. 

THE NOANK’S BOG: A Privateer of the Revolation Illustrated by 
Will Crawford 

The further adventures of the plucky Guert Ten Eyck, as he fought 
King George on land and sea. 

THE DESPATCH BOAT OF THE WHISTBE : A Story of Santiago 
Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill 

A breezy story of a newspaper despatch boat, in the war with Spain. 
GUERT TEN EYCK Illustrated by Frank T. Merrill 

A hero story of real American girls and boys, in the American Revolution. 
THE PARTNERS Illustrated by Albert Scott Cox 

A capital story of a bright, go-ahead country girl and two boys who 
helped her keep store. 

CHUCK PURDY : A New York Boy Illustrated 
A delightful story of boy life in New York Gty. 

OID GRANGER: A«Country Boy Illustrated 
A capital story of American life. 


For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON 


George Cary Eggleston’s 
Juveniles 

The Bale Marked Circle X 

A Blockade Running Adventure 
Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson. 12mo. red cloth, illustrated 
cover, $1.50. 

Another of Mr. Eggleston’s stirring books for youth. In 
it are told the adventures of three boy soldiers in the Con- 
federate Service who are sent in a sloop on a secret voyage 
from Charleston to the Bahamas, conveying a strange bale of 
cotton which holds important documents. The boys pass 
through startling adventures : they run the blockade, suffer 
shipwreck, and finally reach their destination after the 
pluckiest kind of effort. 

Camp Venture 

A Story of the Virginia Mountains 

Illustrated by W. A. McCullough. 12mo, dark red cloth, 
illustrated cover, $1.50. 

The Louisville Courier Journal says : “ George Cary Eggles- 
ton has written a decidedly good tale of pluck and adventure 
in ‘ Camp Venture.’ It will be of interest to young and old 
who enjoy an exciting story, but there is also a great deal of 
instruction and information in the book.” 

The Last of the Flatboats 

A Story of the Mississippi 

Illustrated by Charlotte Harding. 1 2mo, green cloth, illustrated 
cover, $1.50. 

The Brooklyn Eagle says : “ Mr. George Cary Eggleston, 
the veteran editor and author, has scored a double success in 
his new book, ‘The Last of the Flatboats,’ which has just 
been published. Written primarily as a story for young 
readers, it contains many things that are of interest to older 
people. Altogether, it is a mighty good story, and well 
worth reading.” 

Lothropt Lee & Shepard Co., Boston 

‘ — B D " Q 8 


VOUMG Defemder Seiiies 

By ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS 

IN DEFENCE OF THE FLAG 

A Boy's Adventtires in Spain and Cuba in the 
War of 1898 

Illustrated by W. F. Stecher i2mo Cloth $1.25 

A STORY of action and adventure such as all 
healthy boys like, telhng of a plucky young 
American who defended his country’s flag against 
mobs in Spain and foemen in Cuba, and had many 
thrilling experiences. 

“ Suffice it to say that he will be a lucky boy, with many a t..rill before him, 
who finds this book in his Christmas stocking. Don is a hero after every boy’s 
heart.” — Boston Herald. 

WITH LAWTON AND ROBERTS 

A Boy’s Adventures in the Philippines and the Transvaal 

Illustrated by C. Chase Emerson i2mo Cloth $1.25 

T he stirring adventures of a manly American boy who follows Lawton 
in his last campaigns, and by a singular train of circumstances has 
“moving accidents by flood and field, ’’in two wars, with American soldiers, 
Filipino insurrectos, Malay pirate.s, English troopers, and Boer burghers. 

“ Mr. Brooks presents vivid pictures of both wars, so widely separated. His 
pages are full of the swift-moving incidents which boys love. Dull indeed must 
oe the young reader whose interest flags.” — Boston Journal, 

UNDER THE ALLIED FLAGS 

A Boy’s Adventures in China During the Boxer 
Revolt 

Illustrated by W. F. Stecher i2mo Cloth $1.25 

T he stirring story of an American boy’s adventures in 
Tien Tsin and Pekin, in the ranks of the Interna- 
tional troops and as one of the defenders of the be- 
leaguered legations. Up-to-date, absorbing, and full of 
healthy excitement. Characters who are in the stories 
“ With Lawton and Roberts ’’ and “ In Defence of the 
Flag ’’ reappear in this story. 

** Men and women, boys and girls, of all the mingled nationalities that made 
this war in China so picturesque, appear in the story and give it vigor, variety, and 
unflagging interest.” — Cleveland World. 


For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price 
by the publishers, 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.. BOSTON 





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■iu>! 

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1-'-* 







Defending The Bank 

By EDWARD S. VAN ZILE 

Author of “ With Sword and Crucifix,” etc. Four 
illustrations by I. B. Hazelton. izmo. Pictorial 
cover in color. Price, $1.25. 

“ Defending the Bank,” by Edward S. Van Zile, is a 
most amusing and interesting detective story for boys 
and girls, in which a couple of bright boys and girls ap- 
point themselves amateur detectives and are able to run 
down a couple of bank robbers who are planning to rob 
the bank of which the father of one of the boys is presi- 
dent. This is at once an exciting and wholesome tale, 
of which the scene is laid in Troy, N. Y., the former 
home of the author. It will be widely welcomed. 


The Mutineers 

By EUSTACE L. WILLIAMS 

Author of ‘The Substitute Quarterback.” izmo. 

Four illustrations by I. B. Hazelton. Pictorial 

cover in color. Price, $1.25. 

“ The Mutineers ” is a rattling boys’ story by Mr. 
Eustace L. Williams of the Louisville Courier-Journal. 
It gives a picture of life in a large boarding-school, where 
a certain set of boys control the athletics, and shows 
how their unjust power was broken by the hero of the 
tale, who forms a rival baseball nine and manages to de- 
feat his opponents, thus bringing a better state of things 
in the school socially and as to sports. The story is full 
of lively action, and deals with baseball and general 
athletic interests in a large school in a manner which 
shows that the author is thoroughly acquainted with 
and sympathetic to his subject. 

Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Boston 
















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